There's No Place Like Hoenn
by RoseMasterD87
Summary: Angelina travels into the Hoenn Region same time as Ash Ketchum for their journeys. What adventures, people, and Pokemon will they encounter along the way? R&R! Complete but undergoing major editation!
1. Embark To Hoenn

I AM BACK! YEAH, with my seventh Pokemon story! This one is based similarly to the Hoenn episodes, and also the Sapphire/Ruby games! This first chapter is based somewhat to the first Hoenn episode _**"Hoenn Alone!"**_ and the rest is my ideas! I don't own Pokemon except my own made-up character! Enjoy!

Summary: Angelina departs for the Hoenn Region at the same time as her brother Ash Ketchum. On separate journeys; what adventures, people, and Pokemon will they encounter? R&R!

**No Place Like Hoenn**

**Chapter 1: Embark To Hoenn**

There is a world, much like our own, where strange and magical creatures called Pokemon coexist with humans. Though most Pokemon live in the wild, a young person might embark on a training expedition to master the skills required to achieve the awesome position of Pokemon Trainer!

To date, the existence of 386 different Pokemon varieties of Pokemon have been confirmed. Each kind of Pokemon possess their own special powers which a skilled trainer can harness to capture even more Pokemon. The more Pokemon that a trainer masters, the closer they are to becoming the greatest of all trainers— a Pokemon Master, a goal that's still longed to be achieved by Angelina Murakami, a Pokemon trainer from Pallet Town and the daughter of Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni.

Angelina was taken into care by her step-mother, Clarissa Crystal; mostly living with her step-grandparents on Crystal Island for eight out of ten years. There she had been introduced and became close friends to local neighborhood children Danielle Styles and Tracey Sketchit. Moving to Pallet Town of the Kanto Region, Angelina met Betsy Oak and was introduced to Professor Samuel Oak, then meeting Gary, Ash Ketchum, and Amber Trainum at her step-relatives, the Crystals' welcome party.

On her tenth birthday, Angelina was old enough to start her very first Pokemon journey in the Johto Region and met Jeremy Cretonne with 2 years of Pokemon training under his belt along the way while battling the Johto League gyms and managing a team of loyal Pokemon: starting with her Charmander from Professor Oak, then an Absol raised from an egg traded from Jeremy for her Unown, then her Bellossom caught on the outskirts of Violet City, her Geodude caught in Union Cave, her Marill traded from Violet's gym leader Falkner for a Hootoot, then her Raichu raised from an egg given to her from Jeremy's grandparents. She was unable to participate in the Johto League Silver Conference when Clarissa died during child-labor, but Angelina's newest step-sister Christina Rose was born at midnight of Christmas Day, but she departed ways with Jeremy and headed back to Pallet Town only to be welcomed with comforting arms by her step-relatives and local neighbors.

Angelina had been planning to head into the Orange Archipelago alone, but surprisingly re-untied and joined by her best friend, Jeremy Cretonne. While Angelina had collected the Orange badges, she and Jeremy reminisced those times the night before Angelina's final match with the Orange League Leader. Besides a quick reunion with Angelina's childhood friend Tracey Sketchit, they helped a baby Lapras escape the hands of Team Rocket's Cassidy and Butch on Tangelo Island, and also helping a young man try to capture a Crystal Onix to support his crystal shop business on Sunburst Island.

Well after the defeat of the Orange League, Angelina and Jeremy returned back to the Kanto Region only to help Angelina's friend Marcus Trainum to work in Team Rocket as field agents and also shut down the organization for stealing and injuring Pokemon.

Departing ways with Jeremy, Angelina now sets off on her next journey into the Kanto Region. She wasn't the only trainer as Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak, and Amber Trainum were also beginner trainers. Once Angelina had arrived in Viridian City, she worried over Ash when Team Rocket's Jessie and James attacked; though she was relieved when Ash's Pikachu got rid of the evil memebers with a power Thundershock. Angelina furthered her close watch on Ash through Kanto and Orange when discovering the young trainer was her brother and also the whereabouts of her true mother, Delia Ketchum.

Once Angelina returned home, Ash was now running another errand for Professor Oak; this time into the Johto Region to deliver the GS Ball to Kurt of Azalea Town. Underway of new adventures; Angelina was retracing her own steps that she's missed on her very first journey, reunited with Jeremy along the way, attending her good friends' Marcus and April's wedding, and also had time to challenge Kanto's Elite Four.

During her participation in the Johto League Silver Conference, Angelina had been called back to Elite HQ only to confront her rival Seamus Nichols for the final match of Champion over Kanto's Elite Four. Though being accused of cheating and only of that since Angelina was a better trainer, Seamus conceited defeat and agreed to work with Angelina of the Champion's responsibility.

Now Angelina was finally ready to set off toward the Hoenn Region to collect the badges and compete in the league; another quest on her goal to become Pokemon Master.

_**Pokemon  
No time to question my moves  
I stick to the path that I choose  
Me and my friends are gonna do it right  
You'll never see us run away from a fight  
To be a master is my dream  
All I've got to do is believe (I believe)  
I've got a chance to win  
I'm on my way to victory  
I can be a champion if I just believe  
I'm on a master quest (master quest)  
I want the whole world to see (I believe)  
I can be the very best  
'Cause all I've got to do is belive in me  
Pokemon  
**_It was a beautiful day when Angelina Murakami boarded the ferry that sailed to its destination of the Hoenn Region. The slender-figured girl with vivid hazel eyes and shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair wore a red pleited mini skirt, a light blue sleeveless shirt, light blue socks halfway pushed down into white shoes with a red stripe over them, a white sun hat with half a Pokeball design, a small circular bell made of crystal hung on a silver chain around her neck, and across her shoulder slung a yellow shoulder bag.

Angelina laid out her sleeping bag in the back right corner of the passenger-room and then went off to explore the ship. She walked down the hallway toward the front deck, but was stopped by a Pokemon trainer. It was a boy close to her age with a pink Mohawk and a leather jacket. His jeans were slightly worn, and he wore a studded belt.

"Hey chick, wanna battle?"

Angelina merely scoffed at the hypocritical remark, for the trainer surely looked more of a punk and she knew she was no punk's chick.

"You wouldn't stand a chance!" Angelina said as she reached for a Pokeball with a smirk on her face while her Pikachu squeaked happily, awaiting for action all day. She followed the punk trainer to the "trainer-battle" floor.

"Kadabra, time to battle!"

The punk trainer sent out a Psychic Pokemon and Angelina remembered raising a few Psychic types back in Kanto. She knew the weaknesses.

Angelina kept the smirk on her face, she knew exactly what Pokemon to use for this battle.

"Go Shadow!" Angelina threw her Pokeball, releasing the Dark Disaster Pokemon Absol. He growled when appearing, attempting to intimidate the opposing Kadabra.

Angelina made the first move, "Shadow, Take Down!"

Shadow charged at Kadabra.

"Kadabra, evade it!" the trainer called.

Kadabra moved out of the way just in time to dodge Shadow's attack.

"Now," the trainer commanded. "Psychic attack!"

Nothing happened.

"What?!?" the trainer yelled in frustration.

Angelina let a slight smiled creep across her features. "Obviously, you didn't study your trainers' guide too well. Psychic attacks don't affect Dark-type Pokemon. Now to finish this off. Shadow, Faint Attack!"

Absol disappeared quickly and reappeared behind Kadabra, striking the Psychic Pokemon into unconscious.

"What? This isn't possible!" the trainer cried out in fury.

"Sure it is. I'm Kanto's Elite Four Champion. I've accumulated twenty badges and participated in three leagues, and my Pokemon have at least 5 years of experience more than yours." Angelina explained. "Return Shadow!" the red light adsorbed her Absol back into its Pokeball.

"Why you-" the trainer was cut off by Angelina.

"Leave now, your presence bores me."

"You wait, girl! I'll get you!" the trainer sneered. And with that, he called his Pokemon back and stomped off.

"Well how about that," Angelina said as she mumbled to herself. "We have a sore loser."

Angelina made her way out of the _**"trainer-battle"**_ room and down the hall toward the deck. Just as she was about to walk outside, she was bombarded by a group of young trainers.

"Look, it's Angelina Murakami!"

"For real? Let me see!"

"I want to be like her when I grow up!"

"I saw this girl of TV!"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"I'm your biggest fan!"

The trainers were shouting and screaming. Angelina quickly escaped the trainer and ran off to the far side of the ship toward the swimming area. She was used to things like this, it happened often; as the world's youngest Pokemon Champion, she was incredibly famous.

And there is twice as much publicity as Angelina is also the newest pop-singer, Crystalline. During the second time that Angelina traveled the Johto Region, she and Jeremy visited Marcus at Goldenrod City's Radio Tower. Marcus was a DJ at the time for the PokeMusic channel, he introduced his producer, whom also was the father of Angelina's rival Seamus Nichols, and Angelina was then brought into the world of sensational singing after two concerts and her first CD release.

"That was close," Angelina breathed in relief. "I think we lost'em, Chocolate."

"Pika, chu!" the electric mouse pointed to her trainer's left.

There was a swimming pool nearby. Angelina was trying to relax on her free time, but the pool was irresistible. She had to go swimming.

"Come on, Chocolate. Let's go swimming!" Angelina walked back into the ship and back to the passenger's room. She changed into her dark blue bikini and heads out toward the pool with her towel hanging over her shoulder and her Pikachu in arms.

When Angelina arrived at the edge of the pool, she saw her brother bouncing on the diving board and his Pikachu was perched on his head.

"Ready Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" the electric mouse nodded.

Ash continued to bounce; his messy black hair seemed to bounce along with him. "All right!" he yelled and he dived into the pool.

Angelina laughed as some water splashed on her and Chocolate. She sat down on the pool's edge and dipped her feet in. "Hey Ash, nice entrance!"

The boy spat water out of his mouth; he looked over and smiled at the sight of his older sister. "Oh hey Angel! I didn't think you were coming, too."

"Yeah, what a coincidence," Angelina said, laughing softly. "I can't wait to start my journey."

"Me too!" Ash exclaimed, he pets his electric Pokemon on the head. "Say hello, Pikachu!"

"_**Hello!"**_ Pikachu waved.

"_**Greetings!"**_ Chocolate waved in return.

Later that evening, Angelina went off with Chocolate to explore the rest of the ship. She watched some trainers battle in the _**"trainer room"**_ and then settled into her sleeping bag after the lights were turned out for all passengers.

In the middle of the night, Angelina woke up to a strange noise in the room. She sat up just to see someone leave, and noticed that Ash's sleeping back was empty.

"Probably to the bathroom." Angelina murmured and yawned, she then falls back to sleep.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

The following day, Angelina had awoken and went down to the breakfast hall waiting for Ash and Pikachu. Half an hour went by and there was no show of the young trainer, but Angelina was surprised to see the punk trainer from yesturday now joined by two other guys.

The punk trainer with a pink Mohawk smirked, "Last time, we didn't have a proper introduction. I'm Iron."

"I'm Ox!" the second guy with the purple Mohawk piped up.

The third guy, and most menacing with green hair said, "I'm Ide."

"And we're the Rust Brothers!" they said in unison.

Angelina was getting irritated, "Listen, I don't care who you are. I'm waiting for my brother, so get the hell out and mind your damn business!"

Ox taunted Angelina, "Oh, what a foul mouth," he wagged a finger at her. "You shouldn't say things you'll regret."

Angelina was seething now, she wouldn't go easy on them now, "You shouldn't have angered me, so prepare to suffer because I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

Angelina and the Rust Brothers made their way to the "trainer-battle" room with a pack of trainers following close behind to watch.

Angelina was mad, but who could blame her? They were practically wasting her perfectly good trip to Hoenn, all because of one stupid battle earlier. She sent out her best strongest water Pokemon. "Go Spritz!"

"Go Sandshrew!" the ground Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball in a white burst of light as Ide called it out.

Angelina scoffed, "You think you'll be able to beat my Azumarill with a ground type?"

"Oh, don't take us lightly," "Because we may have," "A trick up our sleeves," the brothers spoke in turn.

"Shut up and let's get this over with!" Angelina yelled. "Spritz, Surf!" a rather large wave washed over Sandshrew, who was knocked unconscious.

"Prepare," "For the next," "Battle!" the brothers spoke in turn again.

"Will you three quit talking like that?" Angelina shouted, she was becoming annoyed.

"Go Magnemite!" Ox said, the electric Pokemon appeared.

Angelina mentally smirked, for her Azumarill had a move few others did.

"Spritz, Earthquake!"

The room shook with the power of Spritz's quake. Magnemite fainted immediately.

"Too bad, so sad," Angelina teased the Rust Brothers.

"Do not mock us yet," "Little fool," "For we one more to go."

Angelina's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!"

"It seems to us," "That we seem," "To have touched a nerve."

"What did I just say?" Angelina snapped.

"Go Cacturne!" Iron sent out another Pokemon.

"What is that?!" Angelina gawked at the Pokemon; it had a green body with spines and other attributes of that of a cactus. She then took out her Pokedex.

"_**Cacturne, the Scarecrow Pokemon. It remains unmoving so that it does not lose any moisture to the harsh desert sun, but becomes active at night when the temperature drops." **_

"Hmm," Angelina nodded; she knew Spritz was weak against Grass-types, which was what she assumed Cacturne to be and might have a disadvantage. But then she remembered a move she had taught Spritz for defense against Grass-types.

"Spritz, Blizzard!" Angelina commanded, her voice full of confidence.

Suddenly, the room got very cold. A swirl of snow and hail started, and was hurled at Cacturne. It took the full blast of the attack, but surprisingly didn't faint.

"Pin Missile, Cacturne!" Iron said in a calm voice.

Thousands of tiny needles were thrown at Spritz. The aqua-rabbit, on instinct, evaded the attack.

Angelina pumped her fist in the air. "Nice going, Spritz! Now, to finish this goon off, give that overgrown cactus another Blizzard!"

The attack had the same affect as last time, except the grass Pokemon fainted.

Angelina bragged, "HAH! In your face, losers! I won cause I'm the best! Pathetic!"

The brothers spoke in turn yet again. "Do not use," "This time to brag," "Pretty-headed one." "For we will," "Surely come back," "To triumph over you." and with that, they left the room.

"Pshhhh, losers," Angelina said under her breath. "Return Spritz!" her Azumarill returned to its Pokeball in a red light.

Angelina left the room and out to the front deck. She found out from the Captain with the Machoke that Ash's Pikachu was stolen by Team Rocket and the ship was docked from earlier's attack last night.

'_**Team Rocket?'**_ Angelina blinked in thought. _**'Can't believe they're still following Ash and Pikachu! Hmm, I wonder how Meowth is doing?'**_

Toward the evening, Angelina was lounging on a chair on the front deck while Chocolate slept, the ship was now departing from the dock.

'_**I wonder if Ash will make it back in time?'**_

Angelina heard a Pokemon squawk, she lifted her sunglasses to see Ash and Pikachu flying on a Pidgeot toward the ship.

"Hey!" Ash waved.

Angelina smiled. "He's back." She got up from her chair and rushed over to see Ash safely land on the ship.

"Hi Ash, missed ya today."

Ash looked up and smiled. "Yeah, I was trying to get Pikachu back from Team Rocket. It's a long story…."

"There's plenty of time." Angelina suggested.

So the two siblings explained their day's adventure; Ash was somewhat jealous that his sister battled a new Hoenn Pokemon, but Angelina wouldn't have minded to beat the heck out of Team Rocket.

On the next day, it was announced that the ship was reaching its destination to Littleroot Town, Hoenn.

Angelina stood with the other passengers watching Littleroot Town make its view as the ship approached little by little. She saw, not that far away; Ash watching the Wingull and Peliper flying in the same direction, Wailmur swimming in the ocean and a Sharpedo jump out of the water.

'_**I bet he's excited to start a brand new adventure here in Hoenn.'**_ Angelina thought with a smile as she saw Ash run inside the ship, probably to get Pikachu.

The ship soon docked in Littleroot and Angelina walked off toward her new badges, Pokemon, and new friends on her own adventure through Hoenn.

**§To Be Continued§**

Yep, the beginning of another story, and this time into the Hoenn Region! I only put in certain parts of the first Hoenn-episode that I knew from actually watching it, but it was cool, and I put in the theme song that actually ends the last episode. So expect the second chapter up soon, thanks for reading!


	2. Oldale Reunion

So here's the next chapter, it's not based on an episode for once, but there are lots of surprises. I don't own Pokemon! Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Oldale Reunion**

Once Angelina had left Littleroot Town and walked down the path, she and Chocolate arrived in Oldale Town; a small town minus some of the many trees that surrounded the area. The Pokè Mart and Pokèmon Center were constructed right next to each other in blue and red as a conveyance for Pokèmon trainers.

Angelina pulled out a town map, and then takes out her Pokèmon Guide Book. _**'Hmm, there's a gym in Petalburg City, I'll just head up that way after I catch a few Hoenn Pokemon.'**_ She started towards the Pokèmon Center in deep thought about what she would do after she defeated the Hoenn League.

Just then and along the way, someone slammed into Angelina, causing her and the person to both fall to the ground. She looked up and saw a young boy around ten years with light green hair on the ground next to her. He wore long-sleeved black shirt under a purple vest, light green pants, and brown shoes. He opened his eyes, a dark green color, and starred at her in a dirty way.

"Hey, watch where you're going next time!" the boy sneered, getting up and brushing away a part of his hair.

"Look who's talking!" Angelina snapped back, and was about to storm off toward the Pokèmon Center but jumped back in surprise when a short brunette man wearing dark sunglasses and a blue Pokéball-print shirt was standing in front of her, impatiently folding his arms.

"Hm…" the man droned, pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. "You wouldn't happen to be a Pokémon trainer, would you…"

Angelina blinked as the man turned around, apparently musing silently—she was trying to decide whether or not to ask him what his point was. Before she could, however, he turned back around, seeming to look her over.

"Probably no," the man concluded. "Your clothes seem a bit too… impractical. If you were, you'd have to be a rookie."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I digress," the man breezed. "You see, I'm on a talent search, so to speak, but… I apologize for wasting your time."

"Hey!"

Angelina crossed her eyes as he turned to leave, ignoring her once again. He didn't exactly look like a trainer himself, and _he_ had insulted _her_ clothing? She walked towards the Pokemon Center, grumbling. The inside was about as empty as the streets of Oldale Town. Only a few kids walked around the orange-tiled floor and up the escalator.

Angelina handed her Pokèmon over to Nurse Joy to be healed and was halfway over to the PC when she turned abruptly and was face-to-face with the green-haired boy. "What do you want, kid?"

"I have a name!" the boy retorted with a flick of his hair.

"Don't know why I should really care," Angelina muttered, "What is it?"

"It's Drew," the boy said, through clenched teeth.

"Fine then, Drew," Angelina spat loathingly. She went over to the PC and deposits her Absol, then withdrew a few empty Pokèballs and went back to retrieve her healed-up Pokemon (Pikachu and Azumarill) before registering for the Hoenn League.

"Here you go, you're all set," Nurse Joy smiled to Angelina. She handed over a bronze-colored card with Angelina's picture and trainer number printed on it.

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy." Angelina said as she examined her picture. "Great, I'm all ready! Hoenn League, here I come!" she was about to leave when her path was blocked by Drew. "You again!"

"Hey, is that kid bothering you?" asked a familiar voice, belonging to a tall boy around seventeen with messy blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore baggy blue jeans, a black short-sleeved T-shirt underneath a sleeveless red vest with a white collar and zipper, black shoes with a red stripe, and carried a dark green backpack.

Angelina gasped, "Je-Jeremy? Here? Now?"

"You bet!" Jeremy grinned. "And Christina, too!" he motioned to the little brown-haired girl nearby.

"Hi Lina!" Christina waved. "Aunt Vicky said I could travel in Hoenn with you!" She was clad in a mint-green short-sleeved dress, brown sandals, and carried a pink backpack.

"Great, more baby-sitting," Angelina sighed. "Just what I need during my journey."

"Don't worry, she won't be trouble for us," Jeremy assured, then he glared at Drew. "So how do you know my little brother?"

"Your brother?" Angelina asked.

"Yeah, I just never mentioned him before," Jeremy replied embarrassingly. "I stayed with my grandparents in Goldenrod City when my mother was pregnant with Drew, and she moved with my father to the Hoenn Region since he worked in La Rousse City."

"Well that explains a lot," Angelina smiled. "Let's get going," she walked outside. Jeremy and Christina followed right behind, as did Drew.

Angelina took a Pokèball from her belt and thought for a moment as she looked down the long path. She placed the Pokèball back onto her belt and turned to Drew, whom stood by himself impatiently. "We're going to Petalburg City," then she added as an afterthought. "And you can't come."

"Oh, you'll let me come," Drew said calmly.

"What's he up to?" Jeremy muttered suspiciously.

"And why is that?" Angelina demanded.

"I'll tell everyone that you're really not Pokèmon Master unless you defeat the Hoenn League." Drew smirked at Angelina's worried expression. "A lot of people already think you defeated Hoenn and you're here for gym inspections, as what an Official Pokèmon Master does."

Jeremy growled, "Don't even think—"

"Wait," Angelina interrupted, Jeremy looked at her in confusion. "It's true, I haven't defeated the Hoenn League, but I'm not really here for gym inspections either."

"There's no use hiding the truth." Drew warned.

"Ya know, you're starting to annoy me!" Angelina frowned. "Honestly, will you leave me alone?"

"No..."

"And why not?"

"I want to be a Pokemon Coordinator, and I wanna be really good since I can battle my Pokemon exceptionally well."

"Is that all?" Angelina blinked. "My friend's wife traveled through Hoenn and she won many Pokemon contest ribbons."

"Well since you know some of your friend's Pokemon Coordinator expertise, you can help me." Drew insisted.

"No I won't!" Angelina said. "You have to earn your way to win contests and ribbons."

Drew leaned over and whispered something in Angelina's ear that made the color drain from her face.

"Um…. Okay sure. You may come with us," Angelina smiled nervously.

"So what are we doing today?" Drew asked.

"Hmm, I'm thinking about catching some new Pokemon." Angelina replied.

Drew smirked. "Okay, I'll watch you catch a Pokemon. I'm not really the type to collect badges or battling that much."

As they walked into the grassy plain, a pinkish-purple cat-like Pokemon ran past them.

"It's so cute!" Christina cooed.

"But what is it?" Angelina asked, pulling out her Pokedex.

'_**Skitty, the Charm Pokemon. It has the habit of becoming fascinated by moving objects and chasing them around. This Pokemon is known to chase around playfully after it's own tail and become dizzy.'**_

"I want it!" Angelina took out an empty Pokeball, then looking down at her Pikachu. "Ready, Chocolate? Quick Attack!"

Chocolate jumped down from Angelina's arms and quickly tackled the unsuspecting Pokemon. The pink cat-like Pokemon was instantly knocked out, and Angelina threw the Pokeball at her.

The red light engulfed the cat-like Pokemon as she went into the Pokèball. It began to rock, and then stopped with a faint _**'ding'**_ noise.

"Yes, I caught a Skitty!" Angelina picked up the Pokeball, then placed it on her belt. "And her name is Precious."

"Nice job, Angel!" Jeremy smiled.

"Are you done yet?" Drew asked, slightly bored.

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I suppose I am," she said; now walking down the path with her companions just as the sun was setting and approaching nighttime.

Angelina didn't like being in the woods at night; Marcus told her that there were ghost Pokemon in the woods at night, and she definitely didn't want to take any chances now.

Suddenly, Angelina saw something swoop by, which made Christina shriek and hide behind her sister. Jeremy shone his flashlight onto a small bird-like Pokemon with a yellow beak, glinting brown eyes, a white underbody, and a red marking on its forehead.

"Pshh, it's only a Taillow." Drew scoffed as Angelina took out her Pokedex.

"_**Taillow, the Tiny Swallow Pokemon. These small Pokemon are very territorial and like to prey on Wurmple and Caterpie. Taillow are known to never back down from a fight and often take on opponents bigger than themselves." **_

"Great, another Hoenn Pokemon!" Angelina smiled and glanced to the Pikachu on her shoulder. "I'm catching this one! Get'em Chocolate, Thundershock!"

"Pikaaa-chuuuu!" Chocolate jumped up and released a blast of electricity.

"Taiiiiiiii-low!" Taillow cried angrily and swooped toward Pikachu.

"What?! It should've been weakened by now!" Angelina cried. "Chocolate, Thundershock again!"

"Pikaaaa-chuuuu!" Chocolate released another electric blast.

This time, Taillow was weakened. "Low…. Low….!"

Quickly, Angelina threw a Pokeball at Taillow before he could recover. She watched carefully as the ball shook a few times and finally stopped. Walking over, Angelina picked up the ball and held it up proudly. "Haha! I caught…. a Taillow!"

"Congratulations, but Taillow is such a beginner's Pokemon." Drew smirked and flicked back his hair.

Angelina glared at the boy; she placed the Pokeball onto her belt. "Not my Taillow…. And his name is, Feather. Okay, let's set up camp tonight. Then we'll continue walking tomorrow."

There was a clearing nearby; Jeremy gathered firewood and started a fire while Drew and Christina set up their sleeping bags, which left Angelina to boiling water and cutting up some vegetables for soup. The four friends talked quietly as they ate, then saying their goodnight's when the fire was put out and they've settled in their sleeping bags. The next morning, Angelina was the second to awake as Jeremy was up preparing breakfast. Chocolate was curled asleep next to Christina in her sleeping bag, and so was Drew with his back turned.

Angelina quickly got out of her sleeping bag and yawned. "Another beautiful day for traveling." Then awaking Drew and Christina, the four travelers gathered their stuff and were once again onward with the morning sun shining behind them.

**§To Be Continued§**

Okay, a lot happened in this chapter! Angelina meets Drew; its no where near similar to how Ash meets May, but it was a new idea I thought of. Then Angelina meets Scott, and Jeremy makes a come back too, this time bringing Christina! Then Angelina catches two new Hoenn Pokemon, a Skitty and Taillow. Thanks for reading, leave a comment please! Next chapter will be up soon!


	3. Helpin' Wally

Okay, the Pokemon captures in the last chapter did seem short, but I had bits of writer's block and did the best possible. So here's the third chapter, not based on an episode, and with new characters again!

Chapter 3: Helpin' Wally

"I'm hungry," "Can't move feet anymore." "Pika-piii!" Christina, Angelina, and Chocolate fell onto the ground; their stomachs growling loudly. The sun shone through the trees and onto the dirt path the group was following to the next city.

"Ya know Angel, we should've stocked-up when we were in Oldale Town, but you were so insistent to go to Petalburg City first." Jeremy sighed as he and Drew walked up to them.

"There he goes again being all intellectual. Sometimes I wonder if there's some kind of **_'off'_** button on him." **_CLACK! _**"Ouwwww!!!" Drew rubbed the top of his tender head. Jeremy twirled a Japanese fan in his hands, grinning.

"I agree with Drew." Angelina sat up and took her Pikachu in her arms. She looked just as hungry as her trainer. "Poor Chocolate doesn't look like she can hold out."

"Stop your belly-aching and let's get going. Petalburg City isn't that far from here." Jeremy took the lead, his hands on the back of his head.

"C'mon, you've gotta' have something in that backpack of yours."

"Don't get your hopes up." Jeremy told his friend flatly.

Angelina's stomach rumbled against Chocolate's body more and more the further they walked. She was so hungry, she felt like she could put an all-you-can-eat buffet out of business for at least a year. As a matter of fact, the only sound that could be heard from the silent group was the growling of Angelina's and Christina's stomachs.

"Ooohaaa…." A groan sounded in their ears.

"Stop whining!" Jeremy snapped.

"But it wasn't me—"

"Oohaa…." It echoed again.

"It's coming from over there." Drew pointed to the bushes beside them.

"Hey, is anyone out there?" The underbrush spoke and the group jumped a little. "Can you help me?"

Jeremy walked up and pushed the bushes back. Sprawled on the ground was a young boy, about Drew's age, holding his ankle shakily. His green hair was a lighter color than Drew's and was a little wild, and his white shirt had a rip mark on the side. Right beside him was what looked like a large butterfly net.

"Oh man—are you okay?" Jeremy gasped and went to help him up.

"I bruised my ankle and can't walk. You don't think you can help me up, do you?"

"Sure," Jeremy took one hand and Drew took the other. With a gentle, but mighty heave, they pulled the boy up and put his arms over their shoulders.

"What were you doing out here?" Angelina asked, picking up the net from the ground.

"I was trying to catch some wild Pokemon when I fell out of that tree. I guess I'm not very good at this." The boy answered.

"With a **net**?" Christina blinked.

They started walking on the trail again, a little bit slower because of their injured passenger.

Angelina tried to balance Chocolate in one arm and examine the net at the same time. There were some words scratched into the side that were fairly legible. "…. your name is.…Wally Landry?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" the boy looked back at Angelina.

"It's on your net. Are you a Pokemon trainer?"

"No, but I wanna' be one." Wally replied.

"Well you can't do too much on that leg right now, so we'll just take you to Petalburg City." Angelina told him. "You are from there, right?"

"Yeah, I live in Petalburg City." Wally told her. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm from Pallet Town," Angelina replied. "So is my friend Jeremy, and my little sister Christina; but Jeremy's brother Drew isn't, though," she introduced the gang.

"Pallet Town? I think I've heard that before, " Wally examined Angelina closely, "Yeah, I remember now; you're the new Champion of the Kanto Region's Elite Four!"

"But how did you know that?" Angelina blinked, a little impressed.

"Every region's Elite battles are broadcasted live around the world, so anyone who watched knows about Angelina Murakami." Wally said.

In the distance, the small yet lush city of Petalburg came into view. The group shuffled out of the trees and onto the cool cement sidewalk.

"Wow, it's so nice here." Angelina said to herself as they marveled at the beautiful houses and buildings.

"Can we go shopping, Angel?" Christina asked hopefully.

"No, you can't do **that** kind of shopping." Jeremy snapped before Angelina got in a word. "This time, you are going to listen to me and stock up, **okay**?"

"Yeah, yeah; I heard you." Angelina sighed, annoyed.

"Don't you ever give your mouth a break?"

"I heard that!" Jeremy shot at Drew.

Wally couldn't hold it in and started to chuckle a bit. "You four must have been friends for a long time. You fight like you're almost a family." He gave a warm smile to hide the wince he made from stepping on his injured foot.

Angelina's eyes darted from the various merchandise in the windows of the Poke Marts and frowned that she couldn't buy any of it. She saw a sweet blue mach bike gleaming in the window of a bike shop and glared jealousy. So many products to help Pokemon Trainers, but they were utterly useless if one didn't have the flashy green.

"Where do you live at, Wally?" Drew asked, his shoulder cramping from Wally's weight.

"Just keep walking down this street until you see the Petalburg City Gym; I live close by," Wally replied.

The Petalburg City Gym resembled a Japanese-like dojo; the sun gleamed off the highly polished wood and the front door. It made Angelina excited as they crossed the street to it. She was anxious to storm through the doors and request her first gym battle—but had to control the impulse to get Wally home.

"My house is right there." Wally nodded his head towards the green house next to the gym. The smell of tulips drifted from the front yard and flowerpots decorating the windowsill. A wooden welcome heart was tacked on the front door.

"Wally, when you said that you lived closed to the gym, I didn't think you meant **right next** to it." Jeremy said skeptically.

"Yeah, well, if you wanna' point out every little detail. Just knock on the door and my dad should come." Wally told him.

Christina brushed up to the front door and rapped on it rapidly. There were a couple of silent seconds before the door vibrated with a sudden rattle and swung open.

"Yes?" said a man, who's voice was as hearty as his stomach. His hair was just like Wally's; wild and green. His yellow shirt and blue shorts reflected the sun so brightly that Angelina thought it should've been illegal to wear them in the summer time. "Wally? What happened to your leg?!" He gasped.

"I just fell and hurt my leg, Dad, but these Pokemon trainers helped me here."

"C'mon, let's get him in, shall we?" Mr. Landry helped Drew and Jeremy carry Wally and they all walked inside the house.

Unlike the outfit Wally's dad wore, the living room invited a rushing fury of the blue ocean. Angelina sat on the fluffy ocean blue couch that dipped under her weight and gazed at the wall decorated with model ships, some in bottles. The fresh sunlight streamed through the windows onto the ocean-waved carpet. Jeremy, Drew, and Christina took a seat besides Angelina as Wally's father propped his son in a reclining chair. Chocolate sat in front of her trainer; she was still very hungry, but her patience was applaudable.

"I made sandwiches for the lot of you." A thin, yet very pretty woman with long green hair stepped out of the other room. In her hands was a large silver platter that was over-piled to the top with triangle cut sandwiches. "Sorry they're just sandwiches; you came on short notice so I had to find something quick." She apologized.

"No need to apologize, Mrs. Landry; when food talks, our stomachs walk!" "Pikachu!" Angelina, Christina, and Chocolate leapt up as Mrs. Landry set the platter on the coffee table with a warm smile. All three of them stuffed their faces in eagerness to fill the empty spaces in their stomachs. This made them way too busy for conversation.

"There sure are a lot of ships in your house, Mr. Landry. As a matter of fact, your entire house looks like the ocean." Jeremy observed the decorative ships. He was the only one out of the group deft to talking since everyone else was still stuffing their mouths.

"Yeah, my family and I traveled to Slateport City last year and I sorta', kinda' got carried away with the souvenirs." Mr. Landry replied to him. "Anyway, I'd like to thank you for helping my son, Wally. You see, Marion and I worry about Wally because he's.… well.…"

"I'm afraid I'm not as strong as most kids." Wally answered for his father. "I really want to become a Poke'mon Trainer, but I'm just a little weak. But if I were to catch a Pokemon of my very own, I could be just as good as anyone." He stood up on his feet and winced a little.

"Wally—" "Maybe you should sit down." His parents started, but he shook his head.

"I wanna' go out and try again; I'm going to go back a catch a Pokemon."

"You're not going anywhere on that leg, young man!" His mother said in a "final" tone of voice, "We keep trying to buy Wally a Pokemon, but he insists that he catches one on his own."

Angelina stood up and finished off another sandwich. "Do you really want to catch a Pokemon, Wally?" she asked Wally.

"Yeah, I really want to!" Wally clenched his fists with excitement.

"Then while my friends are out and about, I can help you catch a Pokemon," Then Angelina added hastily, "If it's all right with your parents, of course."

"So how about it, Marion?" Mr. Landry turned to his wife.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Landry; he's gonna' be fine." Angelina slapped Wally on the back and Wally winced slightly. "Ooops.…uh, sorry about that, Wally."

"What a character," Jeremy shook his head.

The damp smell in the morning air smacked Angelina and Wally in the face as the sun's rays peeped through holes in the clouds. Wally didn't dare walk too fast for the sake of his leg. Angelina was, once again, admiring the stores filled with "over-priced" items she wanted so badly. She barely seemed to notice Chocolate, who was in her arms, playing with the Crystal Bell like a kitten would a ball of yarn.

"So, Angelina, do you think you can really help me catch a Pokemon?" Wally asked after a moment of silence.

"Well of course! I'm a master at catching wild Pokemon!" Angelina replied, happily. "Just take these—you're gonna' need 'em." she used her free hand to dig into her backpack and pulled out two small Pokeballs. Wally took them, slipping them into his pocket.

They stepped off from the city and onto route one-o-two, the path Angelina and her friends had taken to get to Petalburg City.

"Here; take Chocolate and have her help you catch a wild Pokemon." Angelina gingerly held her Pikachu out and Wally took her just as carefully.

"You're letting me use one of your Pokemon?" Wally asked in disbelief.

"How else are you supposed to catch one?"

"Thanks a bunch, Angelina!" Wally smiled. He started to push through the bushes in a frantic search for any wild Pokemon. He didn't care what kind he got, as long as he had one.

Angelina watched him on and off, but occasionally glanced off at the side to find a wild Pokemon for herself. She wondered what kind of Pokemon roamed this part of Hoenn.

After a little bit of rummaging through the bushes and shrubs, Angelina and Wally started to grow a little bored.

"Aww, man! I thought that we'd be able to find a whole bunch of wild Pokemon around here." Wally complained, sifting through another bush.

Angelina stared up at the trees airily, letting out a small yawn as Chocolate sat next to her, just as bored. **"If I would've known it was gonna' take **_this_** long, I would've Jeremy, Drew, and Christina to come."** she thought to herself.

Wally got off his knees and walked up to Angelina, sighing. "It's no use, Angelina; I can't find any Poke'—"

"Zagoon!" A voice sounded. One of the bushes shifted a little before a bristly Pokemon poked its head out. Its fur was an alternating ring of bristly white and brown; its eyes were masked like a raccoon and its black nose was just as dark.

"It's about time." Angelina pulled her Pokedex from her pocket.

"Zigzagoon, the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon. This field Pokemon's hair bristles like that of a porcupine. If it feels threatened, it will play dead."

"You can take it from here, Wally." Angelina pocketed her Pokedex.

"Uhm.… okay, Chocolate, I guess a Quick Attack will work." Wally said, a little unsure of himself.

"Pika," Chocolate sprinted towards the bushes at Zigzagoon. It was kind of awkward for her to take orders from someone besides Angelina. She launched her body into Zigzagoon, who staggered backwards out of the bushes.

"Zagoon-zagoon!" It got to its feet and growled at her. "Zigi!" Without warning, Zigzagoon turned tail and started to dart away from them.

"Hey wait; don't go!" Wally ran after it, but it vanished into the bushes. "Crud! I missed my chance!" He beat the ground with his foot.

Angelina walked over to him and patted his shoulder, "You can't let them run away like that. Now go try again."

Wally nodded and went towards some more bushes to search. **"There's got to be a Pokemon that won't run from me."** He thought to himself as he pushed the shrub leaves out of the way. His hand suddenly hit something smooth and he pushed it off to the side. "Raaaalaaa!" It staggered back onto the ground beside him. 

"Oh!" Wally jumped back from the Pokemon he just flung. It looked like it was wearing long white Pajamas and a green helmet of hair that covered its eyes. Sticking out of its head were two rounded triangular thorns, red in color. But instead of retreating or attacking, the Pokemon just stood there and stared. Wally stared back at it without blinking.

"**_Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon. Ralts has the ability to psychically sense their trainers' emotions. If their environment is sad, then they become sad as well."_** Angelina's Pokedex spoke.

"Okay, Wally, don't let this one get away." Angelina said.

But instead of using Chocolate, Wally reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. Even though his action seemed weird, Angelina still looked on with interest.

"I don't think I have to use Chocolate for this one, Angel. I can't explain it, but it's just a feeling." Wally pressed the button in the middle and the Pokeball became palm-sized.

Ralts didn't even dare to move; Angelina couldn't tell if it was confused or scared. Maybe it was even egging Wally on. Wally and Ralts played a kind of staring game as they remained silent at each other. Now, it was just becoming plain creepy.

"….Go, Pokeball!" Wally hurled the Pokeball through the air and watched it spin to its target; it bounced a little off of Ralts' head before sucking it up in a bright red light. It dropped to the grass, wiggling and bouncing. "C'mon.…" Wally watched it closely. It shook a little bit more before the button in the middle flashed red.

"That's odd; I was always thought that a Pokemon had to be weakened first." Angelina spoke to herself.

Wally walked over and claimed his catch. "Oh, yeah! I caught Ralts!" He held the Pokeball into the air, allowing the sun to gleam off of it.

"Congratulations, Wally," Angelina smiled.

Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina stood with Wally in front of Wally's house. The sinking sun painted the sky a beautiful orange, yellow, and crimson.

"Good luck, Angel. And the next time we meet, we're rivals." Wally held out his hand and Angelina shook it.

"Right, we're rivals."

With that; Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina waved as they left down the sidewalk from their newest friend's house behind.

**§To Be Continued§**

This one was based from the GameBoy Advanced Pokemon Ruby version, but without the appearance of the Petalburg Gym Leader and with my ideas! Thanks for reading! I'll be back, leave a comment, please!


	4. Petal Festival

I'm back again! Here's the next chapter! It's not based on an episode! You should know my disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, except the plot, ideas, and characters that you are not familiar with! Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Petal Festival**

The sinking sun was upon them once again, making the grassy route around them glow with the late afternoon colors. The trees were filled with the whispers of the tree-dwelling Pokemon. Chocolate was perched on her trainer's shoulder; Angelina walked in front of Drew, Jeremy, and Christina out of sheer anxiety—she couldn't wait to see what kind of new challenges she and her friends would have to face.

"Pika," Chocolate squeaked, pointing forward.

"Huh?" Angelina looked on ahead. "Oh, there's a fork in the road."

Indeed, the dirt path that they were traveling split in two different directions.

"Which way do we go, Drew?" Angelina asked him.

"Well…." Drew scratched his head, "I guess we'll just have to pick one."

"I'd better get the map out," Jeremy started to go through his backpack.

"No-no; I think I can handle this," Drew insisted, looking from one path to another, then pointed at the path on the right, "I say we take this path."

"Good; we'll take this one then." Angelina and Jeremy said in unison and took the other way. "We just agreed that Drew could **_pick_** the way." they explained to Christina, whom nodded.

"Huh…." Drew just stood there for a while, sweating anime style, before snapping, "HEY! Why'd you do that?!"

"We only do it when you navigate." Angelina told him.

"Besides, your navigational skills are worse than a half-wit Slowpoke." Jeremy added.

"Are you kidding?" Drew stared incredulously at his brother and friends. "There's just no way that's true."

"Fine, I'll look that up for you." Angelina whipped out her Pokedex and used the search command as they walked ahead of Drew.

On the screen, an image of a pink sloth-like Pokemon with curly ears, a light tan face, and whit at the tip of its tail and feet.

"Slowpoke, the Dopey Pokemon. Slowpoke is extremely sluggish and lazy, taking it a while to actually feel pain in battle. This Pokemon's best attribute is fishing with its tail."

"Hey! I'll get you back for that one, Jeremiah Cretonne!" Drew shouted and raced up to them.

Jeremy had already pulled the field guide out and was looking at the Hoenn map, "Now let's see…. if we keep on this trail, we'll be able to get to Rustburo City from here."

"Why Rustburo City?" Drew asked.

"Because the Rustburo City Gym is there, Slowpoke." Angelina told him. "I can win my first Hoenn badge there."

"Oh," Drew nodded. "Then let's get a move on if you wanna get that badge."

Angelina stopped and stared at Drew, then her face lit up happily. "Really, you mean it? Great, let's go!" She excitedly grabbed Drew and Jeremy about the shoulders and hurried them along the trail; Christina followed close behind.

"Angelina, let go!" Drew exclaimed.

"I can't breath!" Jeremy shouted.

Angelina started to laugh, but her friends just sweated anime style.

"Shroomish, shroom!"

"Huh?" Angelina suddenly stopped as the bushes beside them shuffled a little bit.

Loose leaves dropped to the dusty dirt path with each movement. The kids watched a small Pokemon come tumbling out. It was a mushroom-like Pokemon decorated with green spots all around its yellow-green body. The Pokemon had two small green ovals for feet and black beetle eyes with a paper-thin mono-brow over them.

"Where did that thing come from?" Jeremy blinked.

Angelina didn't ask questions, but rather pulled out her Pokedex instead.

"_**Shroomish, the mushroom Pokemon. Shroomish live in damp soil in the dark depths of forests, often found under fallen leaves. As a decomposer, this Pokemon feeds on compost that is made up of fallen and rotted leaves." **_

Angelina watched Shroomish slowly roll itself up to its feet awkwardly.

"Step aside, Angelina. I'm catching this Pokemon for myself." Drew stepped in front of her and held up a Pokeball. With a grin, he said, "It's not fair that you should get all the fun and I just get to watch. Roselia, go!" He tossed the Pokeball to the ground and the Pokemon erupted with a flash of light.

"Roseliiii!" Roselia hummed, ready to fight.

"Poison Sting, Roselia!" Drew pointed at Shroomish.

"Liii!" Roselia nodded and fired off poisoned needles at her opponent.

"Wait, stop!" A voice suddenly rang out and made the group look out into the distant trees. "Gloom, Petal Dance now!" Another voice shot from the same area, followed by an array of pink flower petals.

"Counter with Razor Leaf!" Drew shouted quickly.

Almost in an instant, Roselia reacted to Drew's voice and arched her rose covered arms; she spun around three times to send her own army of leaves to counter the petals. There was a sharp clinking like the sound of clashing metal each time a leaf bounced against a petal.

"Who's there?" Angelina demanded; Christina hid behind her for protection and Jeremy clenched his fists.

Out of the bushes, a little girl, about six or seven in age, jumped out in front of them. The afternoon sun colored her long brown hair and brought out the red in her eyes. More so, the colors seemed to turn her white shorts and blouse into an art canvas. Leaping out right after the little girl was an older, teenaged version of her. The only difference was that her hair was in long, elegant pigtails.

"Please don't hurt my poor Shroomish, it can't defend itself!" the little girl sobbed and embraced her Shroomish.

"It has a trainer?" Angelina gasped.

"Yes it does, so call of your Pokemon," the older sister said a bit crossly.

"Gee, I'm sorry. I thought this was a wild Shroomish." Drew apologized, recalling his Roselia to its Pokeball.

"Come on out, Gloom," the older sister called behind her back and something leapt out of the bushes.

The Pokemon was round and blue with short arms and feet. Its line-like eyes gave its face character along with its big drooling mouth. On top of its head was an orange, big-petaled flower with a yellow bulb covering its pistil; four, curly weeds stuck from under each of the four thick petals.

"Ack!" Angelina, Drew, Christina, and Chocolate covered their noses at a foul stench drifting from Gloom's head.

"Oh, man—that reeks!" Drew exclaimed.

Angelina pulled out her Pokedex and opened it up.

"Gloom, the Weed Pokemon. Gloom releases a foul fragrance from the pistil of its flower. When faced with danger, the stench worsens. However, if Gloom feels calm and secure, it will not stink."

"How do you make it stop?" Angelina complained.

"Please, turn it off—my nose burns!" Jeremy pleaded.

"I think this'll help. Gloom, could you use your Sweet Scent for me?" The older sister asked her Pokemon sweetly and Gloom nodded.

"Gloom, gloom," Gloom gave a smile and allowed a pink dust to slowly drift from its pistil. Even though it was called a **_'Sweet Scent'_**, Angelina and her friends didn't dare take a whiff of the air.

"It's okay; the smell is okay. Besides, you're not going to die from it." the little girl smiled.

Slowly, but still unsurely, Angelina removed her hands from her nose and took a short sniff. Suddenly, her entire body started to vibrate with a tingling sensation; she closed her eyes in bliss as a smell greater than the sweetest rose filled her nose. She could feel her body become so relaxed that, given the proper incentive, she could've fallen asleep on the spot. "Whoaa! That does smell good!"

Angelina, Drew, Jeremy, and Christina walked along the dirt trail behind the two girls and their grass Pokemon. Gloom looked positively happy, but Shroomish just sort of trudged at the little girl's heels.

"Sorry for attacking your Roselia like that, but I had to keep you from catching my sister's Shroomish." the older girl told Drew.

"If I knew it had a trainer, I would've left it alone." Drew said.

"My name is Himiko, and this is my sister, Minako."

"Pleased to meet you there." The little girl smiled.

"I'm Angelina, this is my little sister Christina, and these are my two friends Drew and Jeremy." Angelina told her.

"Are you two here because of the Petal Festival Parade in Wood Town per chance?"

"There's a town in these woods?" Drew looked to Himiko.

"What's the Petal Festival Parade?" Angelina asked.

Himiko glanced back at the two with somewhat of a skeptical glance. "You seriously don't know, do you?" She asked and they shook their heads. But instead of matching her disbelieving expression with an annoyed sigh or something along those lines, she gave an excited smile, "You're gonna' looove it! The Petal Festival Parade is a parade used to celebrate the birth of Wood Town. It's a time where grass Pokemon and humans enjoy a day of nothing but eating and festivities."

"So, I take it that grass Pokemon play some sort of significant role in this festival?"

"Yes, Jeremy. It's said that years ago, a woman and her two grass Pokemon, Shroomish and Gloom, pioneered to this area. They wanted to build a place in honor of the unity between people and grass Pokemon. She planted the seeds of her own grass Pokemon, which grew into the town we live in today. At least, that's how the legend goes." Himiko explained to the four, "Wood Town gets its name from the various wood carvings of Shroomish and Gloom."

"The Pokemon you carry with you." Angelina glanced down to the two Pokemon walking at their heels, "Did you purposely catch them because of the legend?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah; we're the stars of the Grass Ring show that my sister puts on every year. And this year, I'm old enough to be in it too!" Minako spoke up.

It was kind of dismal in the evening sun at first, but Angelina could see some buildings and houses pulling up to her. Wood Town was loud and filled with busy streets. Some people were dressed in colorful kimonos and others were dressed as a wide Shroomish or a drooling Gloom. In the middle of the town was a large red tent that blended perfectly with the crimson-gold colors of the sky.

Although Angelina had been too familiar with Grass Pokemon since her first visit to Celadon City; what really caught both Jeremy's and Drew's attention was the battles of various flower Pokemon. A wide smile spread on Christina and Angelina's faces; their fascination for shopping was starting to take over her nerves. Stores opened up to customers up for perfume sales, emerald jewelry, and clothes. Why, the girls' thought that they could spend an entire week in the stores, trying to buy everything with money they knew they didn't have. Chocolate was more interested in the smells of food drifting through the air.

"This is where we perform; in the big top up ahead." Himiko pointed to the big red tent they approached.

Minako, who had scooped Shroomish into her arms, pushed back the flap-for-a-door to the tent and allowed them to walk through, following in afterwards. The big top was dimly lit with cheep bleachers circumnavigating the edge of its inside. Directly in the middle of a sand pit was a round, wooden stage.

"Angelina, would you and your friends like to see Minako and I perform?" Himiko asked, her demeanor being a lot sweeter than earlier.

"My friends call me Angel, and we'd love to see your performance. Right, guys?"

"Yeah," Christina smiled.

"Oh, sure," Jeremy and Drew said, with Jeremy folding his arms.

Angelina and her friends sat in the front row of the bleachers and waited for Himiko and Minako. The lighting had, if possible, become even dimmer to the audience so they wouldn't see the two performers enter. Pikachu sat in Angelina's lap airily. There was a loud click and a massive spotlight shot onto the round stage; music, at first something classical, stared to play.

Himiko came out onto the stage in a blue mini skirt and a white blouse. She leapt like a ballerina into the middle, followed by Gloom with just as much style and grace as its trainer. Just as Drew and Chocolate were about to let out a yawn, the music gained tempo, so as the performers. Drums rolled out and they started spinning like elegant tops on one foot. A pink dust started drifting from Gloom's pistil—Gloom's Sweet Scent attack.

Angelina watched it lift into the air to slowly form shapes such as a heart, a star, and a leaf. A second, blue-colored spotlight trailed onto the stage, revealing Minako in a series of manic mid-air pirouettes. She landed by her sister and started to twist as well. The three friends and their Pokemon watched them spin…. and spin…. and spin on.

"…**_.Okay…."_** Angelina thought to herself. She could feel her body become restless and started to fidget in her seat. By the sounds around her; so did Drew, Jeremy, and Christina.

"Huh?" Minako blinked and dropped her performance; she glanced back into the darkness as her sister and Gloom did the same.

"Shroomish, that was your cue." Minako spoke into the darkness, but no answer came.

"Not again!! Lights, please!" Himiko shouted and the lights above snapped on almost as instantly as the spotlights disappeared.

"What happened?" Angelina asked in concern.

"Ah…. my Shroomish is a little stage fright." Minako confessed. Just by looking at the expression on her face, one could tell it wasn't easy. Shroomish came trudging onto the stage, staring at the floor with a mope expression on its face.

"A little stage fright?! Minako, Shroomish freezes up every time it gets up here!" Himiko exclaimed.

"Is that why your Shroomish ran away?" Jeremy asked a bit sternly.

"Yeah, I think so." Minako answered, taking Shroomish into her arms.

Jeremy looked at Shroomish with hard, stern eyes. It was as if he could see right through it. In a pinch, he read the expression on its face and drew a conclusion.

"—" "It's unconfident," "Ack!!" Jeremy fell out of the bleachers anime style; once again, Angelina had beaten him to the punch of an answer.

"Angelina, you don't play fair!" Jeremy got back to his feet. He turned back to the two sisters with his serious expression re-gained, "I think I can help your Shroomish build up its confidence. That is, if you want the help—"

"Sure!" Minako jumped all too quickly.

"We can use all the help we can get; the show starts tonight." Himiko said.

"We can help too if you need it." Angelina and Drew rose up.

"Pi-pikachu," Chocolate nodded.

"That's great, but I think I can do this by myself." Jeremy flashed a thumbs-up, then tossing out a Pokeball that revealed a green yellow-eyed gecko-like Pokemon with a red belly and a big forked leaf for a tail.

"Neat!" Christina said as Angelina whipped out her Pokedex.

"Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokemon. It never panics under any situation. If a bigger foe were to glare at this Pokemon, it would glare right back without conceding an inch of ground."

Minako smiled at them, Then she looked down at Shroomish, "You hear that, buddy? You're gonna' be ready for the Petal Festival Parade in no time!"

Jeremy and his Treecko stood just outside the big top facing Minako and Shroomish. Treecko clenched its fists in confidence, but Shroomish let out a sigh. Angelina, Christina, Drew, Chocolate, and Himiko stood on the sidelines; quietly watching in observation. Himiko had shown Jeremy the routine she had worked out and he was now ready to put his own strategy into it.

"I've taken a good look at Himiko's chart and it seems that most of the performance comes from actual battle techniques. So, it's only natural that Shroomish should battle to gain its confidence back." Jeremy stated.

"I'm ready when you are." Minako nodded.

Angelina pulled out her Pokedex again; starting to scroll down Shroomish's suggestive attack list. "Interesting…."

"I'm not gonna' hold back just because you're little." Jeremy pointed towards Shroomish, "Treecko, give it a Slam Attack!"

"Treeecko!" Treecko responded by charging at Minako's Pokemon.

"Umm…. Shroomish, use a…. use a Head Butt, I guess." Minako decided sluggishly.

However, Shroomish didn't even get a chance to carry out the attack; Treecko had thrust its tail onto Shroomish's side and sent it sprawling.

"Minako, you have to make Shroomish concentrate on its routine; use it as part of Shroomish's attack pattern." Jeremy said, sounding more and more serious.

"Is it me, or is Jeremy really into this battle?" Drew asked without taking his eyes off of the fight.

"He's trying to not only teach Shroomish, but Minako as well, to react quickly—something that's essential in both battling and performing." Angelina told him.

"Treecko, use Quick Attack!" Treecko's body turned into a blur of green as he sped like lightning on all fours across the brick road. Once again, Shroomish reacted too slowly and was struck so hard and fast, that it was forced to spin like a top. Over and over, Treecko crashed into it relentlessly.

"Oh, Shroomish!" Minako cried, unable to think of a single option to choose from.

Drew thought the battling was kind of harsh, but only Himiko and Angelina saw the true nature of Jeremy's battling style.

"This battle is over. Treecki, do it now!" Jeremy ordered and Angelina let out a sharp gasp; she could've sworn she felt a jolt of strange power radiate from Jeremy's Pokemon.

Treecko's speed became super-charged and it rammed its shoulder into its opponent.

"Shroom-oooo!" Shroomish cried as it was sent flying into the air.

"Ack, my Shroomish!" Minako's voice nearly became lodged in her throat. Her Pokemon soared, flailing in a helpless attempt to correct itself. "Ohaa…"

"Chu…."

The others blinked in amazement.

"Minako, you have to have confidence in your Pokemon." Jeremy shot a glance at Minako. "You have to trust Shroomish and trust in its abilities- Treecko, Slam!"

Minako watched as her Shroomish continued falling and couldn't help but feel something stir inside her. She felt both angry and strong at the same time. Jeremy's words, however cross they may have sounded, seemed to give her a sense of courage and direction.

"Okay, Shroomish," A flame flickered in Minako's eyes and she felt a boost of confidence flow through her. "I want you to spin real fast just like we practiced!"

"Shroomish-shroomish!" Shroomish started to spin really fast and landed on the ground. "Now, Shroomish, use your Stun Spore on Treecko." Minako pointed. Shroomish fired a wave of yellow spores from its body.

In the mid-run, Treecko soaked in Shroomish's Stun Spore and was stopped in its tracks.

"That's it, Minako," Jeremy flashed Minako a thumbs-up. "Well, I guess the battle is over."

"Great job, Shroomish. I knew you could do it!" Minako put her arms around Shroomish and it smiled.

Jeremy recalled his Pokemon to the Pokeball. "Thank you Treecko, rest now."

"Thanks, Jeremy." Minako said. "If you didn't help me back there, Shroomish would've lost."

"No problem."

Later that night, the big top was literally packed with people and Pokemon making loud noises in the bleachers. The smell of popcorn and cotton candy filled the air heavily.

Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew sat in the very front row—the best seats in the house. Excitement settled in their stomachs and Jeremy couldn't help but feel a little proud knowing he helped the show go on.

Angelina didn't notice what Chocolate was doing with her box of popcorn and when she reached down to get some, all she pulled up was an empty box. "Chocolate!!! Now what am I supposed to eat?!" she shrieked.

"Chuuu," Chocolate simply rubbed her body affectionately against her stomach in an attempt to work her cute-appeal.

"Oh, whatever!" Angelina pouted and folded her arms. The lights in the big top dimmed and indicated that the show was about to start. Angelina smiled as she and her friends sat anxiously for their two new friends to come out.

The music started and Himiko came spinning out like a top followed by Gloom. The two spun in place for a while before slowing to a halt on one foot. Another spotlight shot onto the stage and Minako performed her mid-air pirouette feat, landing lightly on the very tips of her feet next to her sister. She gave the audience a big smile and held up her hands. From out of nowhere, Shroomish spiraled into the open and landed on one foot in Minako's hand gracefully. The four took a quick bow as the two grass Pokemon let out a roomful of sparkling pink dust. Even though the performance wasn't over, the audience couldn't help but clap and cheer loudly.

**§_To Be Continued_§**

Okay, so I should have the next chapter up very soon! Thanks for reading! All comments welcomed!


	5. Infamous Aqua

Back again; thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter! So remember in the GB Advanced Ruby/Sapphire game when the Devon researcher is being chased by a member of either Aqua or Magma? This chapter is kinda based on that, but very differently with my ideas. I don't own Pokemon except my characters. Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Clash Of Infamous Aqua**

Last time we left our heroes, they were walking from the sweet-scented Wood Town and headed towards the heart of Petalburg Woods. With Angelina's hopes and dreams high on winning her first Hoenn badge, she can hardly wait to see the beautiful gym of Rustburo City.

Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew walked along the dirt trail leading through Petalburg Woods. Angelina's face was covered with a determined and overjoyed smile; but Jeremy, Drew, and Christina didn't seem as happy. The sun rose up on them quickly as it forced its rays into the cracks between the trees' leaves. Drew put his hands in his pockets, closed his eyes, and frowned after he let out a, "Hmph!" while Jeremy's expression was slightly annoyed.

Christina was panting and let her arms hang at her sides. "Lina, I wanna' stop and take a break now." she complained.

"We can't stop and take a break; we have to hurry and get to Rustburo City." Angelina grinned and started to slowly pull away from them. She was careful not to bump her sleeping Pikachu off her shoulder while she marched excitedly.

"But Lina, we've been moving non-stop ever since yesterday!" Christina wailed, her aching legs begging for a break.

"If we stopped every single time you wanted us to, we'd never get there." Angelina said, still keeping a pleasant voice.

"Jeremy, tell her we want to stop."

"Fine! You stop! But whenever I'm on a mission, I try to get to it as quickly as possible." Angelina told her little sister.

"YOU'RE **IMPOSSIBLE!**" Christina shouted and caused some of the Taillow to flutter out of the trees.

Drew frowned, watching the two sisters. He was just a little tired of walking, but knew Christina would go on and on if she didn't take a break. "Let's just take a quick rest stop, Angel, and we'll pick up as soon as she's done." He suggested in a "final" tone of voice.

"Fine then, we'll take a rest stop." Angelina let out a disappointed sigh. She slowed to a stop by a tree lying on its side (someone had obviously cut it down and left it). She sat on it and set Chocolate in her lap to stroke her back out of boredom.

"Yay, thank you, Drew," Christina smiled.

Drew shrugged, "I didn't really do it because you were tired. I've seen you hold an argument for someone your age." He said. Without much more, he sat down on the other end of the log.

Angelina could feel Chocolate start to awaken from her massaging her.

Jeremy pulled out the field guide and started flipping through the pages. "Who knows how long this place stretches out. It could be days before we get out." he informed, "According to this map…."

"Who's that?" Angelina stood up abruptly, letting Chocolate jump to the ground. Jeremy, Drew, and Christina looked up to see what she was looking at.

In the distance, someone was rushing towards them in a mad hurry. The woman wore a sunflower yellow kimono splashed with white and a black sash; her hair was long and black and her eyes burned the color of amber. She was panting while she ran the fastest she could in her kimono.

"Ohaa.…" The woman blinked when she saw the group of kids staring at her. Her eyes darted from Angelina to Chocolate back and forth continuously. "Haaa.…!" She smiled. The woman came to a halt in front of Angelina, grasping her by the hands.

"Uhm," Angelina stepped back, a little scared of the strange lady.

"Excuse me, miss, but are you a Pokemon Trainer?" she asked her breathlessly.

"Uh… A Pokemon Master, actually." Angelina told the lady.

"Please, you have to help me. Some bad men are after me and they won't leave me alone." the lady stated and the four blinked.

"There you are, Ms. Itzono." A voice from above sounded.

Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, Christina and Chocolate looked up into the canopy of trees, frowning. The leaves rustled and swayed before two figures jumped out onto the ground, grinning. The two men were definitely strong and sturdy with green, piercing eyes and short black beards. They were both sporting the same type of uniform: A jail-striped shirt, blue jeans, and a blue bandana around their heads with weird white marking in the middle. It was a circle with a pointed tip and bone-ends at the bottom. They both had swords at their belts, but were double-edged.

"Who are they?" Drew asked.

"Oh, really, Ms. Itzono. Seeking protection from some little kids must mean you're really desperate person." The one on the right said.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Drew asked a little more sternly and forcefully.

"Who are we? We're known as the infamous Team Aqua, lovers of anything related to the sea. These matters don't involve small children like you, so why don't you just run off somewhere?" The two grunts said together.

"I don't know what the problem is, that I don't, but I'm sure we can work this out reasonably." Angelina smiled at them. She didn't fully understand the situation, but she could sense a bad feeling from the two grunts.

"You ought not to get into matters that don't concern you, sweetheart." The Aqua grunt on the right said. "We're telling you one last time to clear out!"

"Sorry, but that ain't gonna' happen." Jeremy suddenly said and stepped in front of Ms. Itzono, "I never thought I'd actually get to meet someone from Team Aqua before. But here you are, alive and annoying."

"You've heard of these thugs before?" Drew asked.

Something about the word "thug" triggered an angry emotion inside the two grunts. "We are not **thugs**!" "Too bad you didn't listen to our warnings and leave."

As soon as they reached for the hilt of their swords, Angelina's eyes flickered dangerously. Her personality quickly jumped from being calm and collected to deadly and dangerous. She brought out her black rose-shaped staff being pulled from her backpack. The urge—the reaction she had to the sound of weapons—was too overwhelming for her to ignore; the sound of rapid beating feet came from her as she dashed forward. The two grunts tried to unsheathe the rest of their swords, but were a fraction of a second too late. Angelina's reaction was quick just like her step-mother's, but her attitude matched her father's; she swung the staff forward and struck the two grunts in their stomachs.

"Ack!" "Ughn!" The two grunts grunted with their eyes trembling. The wind was knocked right from their throats, leaving them gasping for air. It was only a matter of moments before they dropped to the grass like lifeless dummies.

"I'm sorry—I didn't mean to hurt you too bad! I hope you'll be okay!" And just like that, Angelina's personality jumped back to being calm and cool. Ms. Itzono blinked in astonishment, "Now she's **concerned** for them? But just a second ago, she was like a viscous warrior." Her voice barely rose above a squeak, but was still comprehendible.

"Yeah, she's been working on trying not to do that. Something about promising her father she wouldn't use that staff unless provoked or something else along those lines." Jeremy told her.

Ms. Itzono stepped up to Angelina with a flabbergasted expression.

Angelina placed the black staff back into her backpack. She looked up to the lady with an expression that was just as surprised as hers. "I…. I thought you said you were just a Pokemon Master!" Ms. Itzono exclaimed.

"….Well I am, but I didn't do all this on purpose—ack!" "Oh, thank you, Miss Poke Master!" Suddenly, Ms. Itzono brought the young girl into a bone-crushing hug, constricting her airway. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Angelina couldn't breath with her doing that.

Chocolate leapt off her trainer's head and onto Drew's shoulder in order to prevent the lady from smashing her.

"Please, stop it. You're cutting off my circulation!" Angelina coughed.

The five talked while they walked on through Petalburg Woods. Cbocolate had now rejoined her trainer and curled up on her shoulder. Angelina gave a bit more distance between herself and Ms. Itzono. To tell the truth, she didn't really like her much.

"My name is Rika Itzono and I'm a representative of Rustburo's Devon Company." Ms. Itzono told them.

"Let me guess: that's why those thugs were chasing after you?" Angelina asked, still keeping her distance from the lady.

"Yeah, that's why Team Aqua was after me. You see, I hold some secret documents on a project Devon is working on. I have to try and get them to Rustburo City. I've come all the way from Evergrande City and that's how Team Aqua had a chance to catch up with me."

"Some secret documents, huh? What kind of documents?" Drew wondered.

"Sorry, but I don't think I can discuss that."

"Why not? My grandfather, Mr. Takashi, works there." Drew told her.

"….Oh, so you must be Drew Cretonne, grandson of the research team leader." Ms. Itzono stated. Mr. Takashi wasn't really Drew's grandfather, but rather a really close friend of the family, which was new information to Jeremy.

"Well, even so, I still can't tell you what these documents are. If the information was to leak out, who knows who could use it for their selfish needs?" Ms. Itzono told them.

"How about we make a deal with you?" Jeremy spoke. Ms. Itzono looked at him with the slightest of interest. "Look, it's obvious that Team Aqua, and possibly other criminal organizations, will be after those documents you hold. People like that don't normally tend to give up until they've gotten what they want."

"What's your point?" Ms. Itzono asked him.

Jeremy let out an annoyed sigh. Sweating anime style, he pointed his finger to her, "Why don't **you** let **us**—" He pointed to himself, "—take those documents to Rustburo City?"

"But Jer, if we have the documents, Team Aqua's going to be after us." Angelina stated, unsure about Jeremy's decision.

"Do you **have** to contradict everything I say?!" Jeremy shouted back at her.

"Oh, I see. We're more likely to be able to defend ourselves, whereas Ms. Itzono would have a tougher time. Am I right?" Angelina pointed out, scratching her cheek.

"Yeah.… That would pose a problem.… and it's a shame I didn't think of that earlier." Ms. Itzono glanced up at the sky. She tapped her chin, coming to a stop. The kids stopped as well, turning to her. "….If you feel that strongly about it, then I guess you can take it. I also guess I'll let you use your connection with Mr. Takashi as an excuse to get in." Ms. Itzono reached into the big sleeves of her Kimono and pulled a small circular item. It looked like a girl's compact mirror except for a fancy red letter "D" in the middle.

"**That's it****?** Team Aqua is after that little thing?" Drew looked at the item skeptically.

"Size doesn't matter, little miss." Ms. Itzono told him. Angelina took the secret document case from her and slipped it into her backpack.

There was a rapid patting sound that Angelina, Jeremy, and Drew could hear coming faintly from the distance. Their ears perked to try and determine what directions the footsteps were coming from.

"Can you hear it, Chocolate?" Angelina asked her Pokemon and she nodded with the same curious air.

Without much warning, the steps grew louder very quickly—they were headed straight for Christina!

"CHRISTINA!!" Drew turned to her, but was too slow.

All Christina could do was give a look of surprise and confusion as she was lifted off her feet. She could feel a pair of arms binding her own arms and neck, but couldn't do a thing about it.

The figure holding her came to an abrupt stop. He was strongly built with a muscular shape to his body. He wore the Team Aqua uniform and was yet another member with a sword at his belt. "When they sent me on this mission, I didn't know my opponents were going to be mere kids." He said, grinning maniacally.

"You've come here with a definite purpose, that you have. What do you want with us?" Angelina tried to sound calm, but could feel that alter personality of hers slowly breaking from the seriousness of the situation. Her eyes slowly flickered back and forth with a dangerous spark.

"That face…. and those eyes…Archie was right on this one—she **does** look like that Rocket Leader." The Aqua member said more to himself, but everyone heard anyway.

"And what am I? Invisible?"

"Huh?"

"Haaaaaaaa!" He came from out of nowhere; Jeremy went rushing forward with his fist drawn back for a heavy punch.

But instead of looking worried, the Aqua member laughed a little. "A bit of a fool, aren't you?" _**DUFF!**_

"Ack!" Jeremy's eyes suddenly widened as he came to a very abrupt stop. The wind was sucked from his throat in just a matter of seconds. He looked down to see a giant fist plunged into his stomach.

His enemy flipped him over onto the ground with absolutely no effort at all. "Ha! Listen, kid, I'm an Aqua Fortress Man—I can't be defeated by a mere kid, no matter how strong you may be." He spat. The Aqua then looked to Angelina, who was giving him a venomous look. "I want to fight **you**, Murakami, for you have stained the name of Team Aqua by defeating my comrades. And if you don't, this girl is target practice." He patted his sword.

"Help me!" Christina screamed.

Angelina stared at the man, "You know my name. I think it's only proper that I know yours."

"I'm called _**'K'**_, the Brick, and I'm paid to crush anyone who opposes Team Aqua. But I don't want a Pokemon battle from you. I want to test the protege of the great _**'Giovanni'**_."

"Is that your only reason?" Angelina asked him in a sort of dangerous voice. The thought of her friends and sister being in danger made it a lot tougher for her to jump at the chance to fight, "Who my father is has absolutely nothing to do with who I am. But if that's why you want to fight me, I'll do it for my friends. Chocolate, I want you to help Drew protect Ms. Itzono—"

Chocolate scampered over to Drew; the two stood in front of Ms. Itzono, protecting her.

"Christina…. go sock it to em'…. Angel." Jeremy coughed, shakily getting to his feet. He struggled to try and gather more air into his lungs, but it pained him to breathe deeply.

"Then let it begin. I'll teach you to meddle in Team Aqua's affairs!" _**'K'**_ carelessly tossed Christina aside and she landed next to Jeremy.

"Oooo!" Christina rubbed her bottom, "Okay, Angel! Kick that guy's butt!"

"Sure thing," Angelina said.

Ms. Itzono looked at the two fighters skeptically. **"Angelina may have been able to wipe out two grunts, but she doesn't stand a chance against an 'Aqua Fortress'."** She thought to herself.

"I'm ready when you are." Angelina closed her eyes. She seemed calm, but there was still an angry shake in her voice. Now that Christina was released, she didn't seem as worried and drove most of her anger away. But still, _**'K'**_ could grab her again if he tried to run and who knows what he would do then. She had to fight and there was no way out of it.

"Then let's do it!" _**SHIIINGG!**_ _**'K'**_ withdrew his sword from the sheath and charged recklessly with it held over his head.

_**CLAAANG!!**_ The sound of clashing metal echoed through the trees; Angelina had waited for the last moment to draw her black rose-shaped staff and locked herself into a power struggle. Her expression was serious, but not at all shocked at how close the sword was to her.

"Not bad," _**'K'**_ grinned at her. The two leapt away from each other before rushing up again. The clang of their weapons repeatedly beat the air, neither of the combatants breaking a sweat. "You're not bad for a kid." _**'K'**_ brought his sword down on the black staff.

Angelina carefully analyzed every thrust and swing of her opponent. She only cut it close once on a thrust to her shoulder. The Aqua member forced his sword forward in such a rush that Angelina had only seconds to react. A strong wisp of wind sped through the air, followed by a harsh silence. Christina, Jeremy, Drew, and Ms. Itzono were only able to gaze with their mouths hanging open and their eyes trembling. The black staff had fallen to the grass with a definite thud.

"….but, that's impossible!" _**'K'**_ growled. He couldn't believe that it happened so fast.

Angelina had her staff's sheath blocking her enemy's sword, her hands pressing on the back to give it some support. She then dove between _**'K'**_s legs and slid out on the other side; in a rush of wind, she swung the sheath into her enemy's back.

"Daaaha!" _**'K'**_ staggered forward, trying to regain his balance, "What the heck was that!?" He exclaimed.

"Heh," Angelina stood up and grinned, "I figured that instead of using that black staff, I could use the sheath to pump the speed of my attack." she said triumphantly. Then, her face went into another serious expression. She poised the sheath like a real weapon to the side of her with both hands. "And now, it's the end!"

_**WHOOOSH—CLACK!**_ "Ughn!" With a viscous whack to the head, 'K' dropped to the ground like a serious brick.

"Yeah!" Christina and Drew exclaimed. Jeremy would've shouted as well, but he was still trying to find his air.

With a certain air of triumph, Chocolate jumped into her trainer's arms happily. It was amazing how fast the day seemed to melt away; the sun was now setting behind the horizon and fading fast.

"Well, I guess you four had better get going." Ms. Itzono said. Then she turned to the left and pointed down the trail. "If you stick to this trail, you should reach Zakuden Town. They have a Pokemon Center there and the nurse can give you directions to Rustburo City."

"**B**ut what'll you do, Ms Itzono?" Christina asked her curiously.

"Don't worry, I know a shortcut that leads to Petalburg." Ms. Itzono answered.

"Then I guess we'll see ya' later, Ms. Itzono." Jeremy said.

"Who knows, maybe our paths will cross again." "Right," Angelina nodded to Ms. Itzono.

With the sun fading fast behind them, Angelina and her friends continued on their journey to Rustburo City. Who knows what surprises and adventures are in store for our heroes? One can only hope that they all achieve their goals and meet old friends once more.

_**To Be Continued**_

I have the Ruby version, so I decided for this chapter that the Devon worker is being chased by Team Aqua. Thanks for reading, the next chapter will be up soon!


	6. Dratini Hunt

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, it's different again! I don't own Pokemon except for my characters, enjoy!

**Chapter 6: Dratini Hunt**

It was a full moon out in the dark purple sky. The sleeping sounds of the Pokemon echoed throughout the trees of Petalburg Woods, providing the setting with a serene state.

Two decent-sized red tents with square tops were set up by a nearby lake, they both had white Pokeball markings and the roof was made of see-through plastic. The first one contained Drew and Jeremy wrapped in their sleeping bags snoring loudly with their mouths open.

"…. Jer, get you foot outta' my face.…" Drew talked in his sleep as he turned to his side and kicked his older brother.

"Kick me again.… and I'll slap you.…" Jeremy yawned.

The second tent held Christina sleeping peacefully, but Angelina's sleeping bag remained empty and her pajamas were folded neatly on the side.

Tonight, we find our Pokemon heroes in a state of total rest and relaxation. Who knows what adventures the next day will bring, what Pokemon to meet, and what challenges…. zooms in on Angelina's sleeping bag but wait; where's Angelina?

The only sound besides snoring was the slow drip and ripple of Azile Lake. The night sky was as clear as crystal, but in the area below the trees, a misty fog hovered in the air. Angelina sat at the bank of the lake with her fishing line bobbing in the water. The black and red rod actually belonged to Jeremy, but he had let Angelina borrow it before he went to sleep. Spritz was resting peacefully beside Angelina with Chocolate using her side as a pillow. Angelina wasn't the least bit tired. She just sat there, waiting for a Pokemon to tug at her line. She didn't know what possessed her to go out and fish at night, but it seemed to be like a sort of meditation.

"Wow…. it's been nearly two weeks since I left Pallet Town." Angelina thought aloud, "So much has happened in such a short time and the best thing is that I know there's more to come…. huh?" she looked up at a slight tug on her rod—she had caught something! She tried to gaze out and take a glimpse, but the fishing line was so far out that she couldn't see a thing.

"I bet it's something big like a Seaking, or maybe even a Kingler!" Angelina stood up excitedly to real in his catch.

At her excitement, Spritz and Chocolate had awakened slowly. They yawned in the process of adjusting from their dreams.

Angelina's rod bent slightly at the tip each time she cranked the reel. She was so excited, she was about to wind it right off the rod. Slowly, a silhouetted figure at the end of the line came into view through the fog.

"What is it?" Angelina asked when the figure didn't strike her as familiar. Nevertheless, she continued to pull it in; with her trusty Pokemon by her side, no danger was a real threat. The figure came in closer and became more distinct in its appearance. The Pokemon had beautiful mahogany fur, whereas its paws were a darker brown. The little quadruped fox's belly was white and it had a curly tuft of orange hair with short bangs. Its nose was jet black and its eyes were a yellow-jadish color. Probably the best feature on it was its six, gorgeous, curl-tipped orange tails. The fishing line had hooked on a small wooden raft the Pokemon was drifting on.

"A Vulpix?" Angelina blinked cynically and pulled out her Pokedex.

"_**Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon. To keep itself from overheating, this Pokemon blows fire from its mouth. It is admired for its beautiful tails, which become more attractive as it evolves."**_

"Oh.…" Angelina gazed from the image on the machine to the real deal.

Re-pocketing her Pokedex, Angelina reeled in the rest of her line until the raft was at her feet. She bent down to get a closer look at the Pokemon. It looked like it had gotten beat up pretty badly; it was even panting lightly. Its fur was really messed up and it was a wonder how it could still look so beautiful.

"Hey, little guy, what're you doing out here on the water?" Angelina asked, looking at it all over. "Hmm, what's a Vulpix doing out on a lake, much less around these woods."

Angelina wondered if she should've picked him up or not. He just sat there, starting at her with those glimmering eyes. "Erm.…" Slowly, she grasped him around his belly and lifted him off the rickety raft. Spritz and Chocolate got close to examine it suspiciously.

"This Vulpix looks pretty banged up," Angelina said to herself, "I guess it wouldn't hurt if I helped it out."

Vulpix gave Angelina a sniff before smiling happily. "Vulpix-vul!" he tried to lick her face.

"He's friendly; let's fix you up first. Then, I'll figure out what to do with you afterwards." Angelina told him.

Chocolate sat to the left of Angelina, eyeing Vulpix jealously as her trainer scrubbed the fox by the lake with a soapy sponge. Angelina's first-aid kit was sprawled out and she left it up to Spritz to give her anything she needed. Vulpix sat on a towel all curled up while she groomed his fur.

"Chu!" Chocolate pouted.

"Don't be jealous, Chocolate. It's not like I don't care about you. I can't just leave Vulpix like this." Angelina explained to her and Chocolate struck her arm lightly with her fist.

After drying and brushing Vulpix's fur, Angelina packed up her medical kit. She folded up the towel she used. Vulpix looked as new—hardly a single scratch was visible on his body.

"Thanks a lot, Spritz. Return," Angelina pulled out her Pokeball and recalled her Azumarill. "So how about you, Vulpix? Do you wanna' hang out with me seeing as I don't see a trainer for you."

"Vulpix!" Vulpix nodded and smiled at her warmly.

Angelina pulled a spare Pokeball from her backpack. "Go, Pokeball," She held it out in her hand; it vibrated a little as it opened, trapping Vulpix in a flash of white light. "….It was an unusual catch, but I think I caught it!"

"Caught what?"

Angelina jumped a little and turned around. Jeremy, Drew, and Christina were rubbing their eyes sleepily, standing in their pajamas.

All four of their pajamas were the same; Jeremy's pants and shirt were light green decorated with leaves, Christina's were silver with pink hearts, Drew's were light red with flames, and if Angelina was wearing hers, they would be light blue with water drops.

"Uh…. what're you guys doing up in the middle of the night?" Angelina blinked.

"You're one to talk." they told her.

"So, do you mind telling me what you woke us up for?" Drew asked, rubbing his eyes.

"….sure; come out, Crimson." Angelina tossed the Pokeball onto the ground. It burst open to reveal her new and quite unusual catch.

"Vul-pix!" he smiled; he didn't really greet the other three the same expression he did with Angelina.

"Oh wow!" Christina squealed and bent down to pet it. But Vulpix just drew back, hissing dangerously.

"How 'bout that? It's a Vulpix with an attitude. Now **that's** interesting," Jeremy stated.

"What's wrong with him?" Drew asked.

Angelina just shrugged her shoulders, "I guess he doesn't like strangers." she told him. Vulpix clambered up his new trainer's arm and took a place on her left shoulder. Chocolate didn't mind as long as she got Angelina's right shoulder.

Suddenly, the bushes in the distance started to rustle. At first, the movements were slow and rhythmic. Then they started to move as if a breeze was blowing.

"Is it a Pokemon?" Jeremy got on the offensive, clenching his fists.

They all looked on with a slight caution as the figure emerged from the underbrush.

"I'm no Pokemon, I'm a human." the boy said as his figure became more distinct in the moonlight. He was tall with brown spiky hair and hazel skin. His eyes were green and he had sort of a cheesy smile. The boy was wearing a white lab coat, a purple shirt, and blue pants. "How're ya' doing?" He beamed at the four.

"Erm…. fine, thanks," Angelina blinked, taken aback by his beaming.

"I'm glad I bumped into some people in these woods. You see, my name is Professor Simus—"

"Aren't you a little young to be a professor?" Jeremy asked him.

"Gee, I get that a lot." Professor Simus rubbed the back of his head, "I guess I'm just lucky or something. But enough about me; I have a real important question to ask you."

"What kind of question?" Drew asked, folding his arms.

Christina was so sleepy, she didn't bother to talk, for her words may not have came out right.

"I want to know if you've seen a Pokemon like this." Professor Simus reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled a photograph. The Pokemon on it was a small snake-like dragon with short ears that resembled wings and black eyes. Its body was pearly white and its underbody and face was light tan in color. The Pokemon, however, could barely be seen since it was behind a waterfall.

"That looks like a Dratini, but it's colored different." Drew said as they crowded around the photo.

Angelina pulled out her Pokedex and opened it up. With a few clicks, the image of Dratini came to the screen. The difference was that the one on the screen was blue instead of shimmering white. _**"Dratini, the Dragon Pokemon. Once a year, Dratini sheds its skin its skin as it grows longer and heavier. When it is ready for evolution, it chooses a secluded waterfall. This Pokemon is very cautious of humans and does its best to stay away from them."**_

"But why is that Dratini white and the one on the Pokedex blue?" Jeremy asked.

Professor Simus grinned as he ran his hand through his hair, "You see, I study in the field of unusual Pokemon and my research has led me to the fact that there are some Pokemon with odd body coloring. I want to find out if being oddly colored makes a Pokemon stronger."

Drew looked at the picture with a spark of interest, he knew Dragon Pokemon were rare, so why not add one on his team for Pokemon Contests.

"My research has tracked this little Dratini to this lake all the way from the Johto Region." Simus added.

"To this lake…. hey, do you mind if we help you find that Dratini?" Drew asked him.

"But Drew, I'm too sleepy for a Pokemon hunt." Christina said in the middle of a yawn.

"We don't mind helping out if we get to see a rare Pokemon," Angelina and Jeremy agreed.

"Not you guys, too!" Christina whined.

"Cool! The more, the merrier. Just follow me to my tent so we can plot where Dratini will be next." Professor Simus stated.

"Awwwaaaa!!" Christina let out a loud yawn inside Professor Simus's research tent. The gang was now fully dressed and wide-awake, except for Christina.

The tent was rather large with books piled in the corners. A wooden desk in the middle was cluttered with papers and articles Professor Simus had been going through. In the middle of the ceiling, there was a lit lantern that provided a little bit of light to the room.

"If you'll just wait right there, I'll only be a couple of seconds." Professor Simus walked to his desk and started sifting through his papers. "Here it is!" he turned the pages of a purple binder to a page showing some sort of map with scribbled markings and numbers plastered all over. "As you can see, I've been charting that Dratini everywhere it went, and if my calculations are correct, it'll only be five minutes till it arrives at Azile lake."

"Yay! Let's find the Pokemon so I can go back to sleep," Christina voiced with a hint of boredom. She knew that they knew tomorrow would be a long day indeed, so why were they wasting time going on a Pokemon hunt?

"Now, there is some equipment I'm going to need you to set up."

"Set up?" Angelina, Jeremy, and Drew looked at each other.

From out of the corner, Professor Simus started piling Jeremy and Drew's arms up with different gizmos and gadgets. "First, we're going to need my camera's—those are the most important—," the two boys' sweated anime style with each object loaded, "then, we're going to need my camera pods; oh, don't forget my tape recorder—can I get you guts to carry my charts and graphs? My sketchbooks are next, not to mention my spot-light lamps; store up on Poke-chow, research books, all ten of my pencil cases, my fold-up chair—"

"Simus—"

"What, you mean we need more? Fine, here's my laptop; we'll need my calendars, my coffee—we may be up late—"

"PROFESSOR!" Jeremy and Drew shouted, their bodies shaking underneath the weight of the equipment. "We don't think we can carry all this."

"Oh, but I thought you were the macho men who were willing to help find this Dratini, even if it meant searching in the middle of the night." Angelina walked up to them, smiling sinisterly.

"Very funny, Angel, but you can help us too." Drew grunted.

"And miss watching you struggle? Not a chance!" "Whaa!!" Angelina slapped Drew on the back and his weight shifted; he fell forward and came to a crash on the floor along with the equipment.

"Oops.… uh, Drew, are you okay?" Angelina asked, concerned.

Drew sat up and rubbed his head, "Just leave me **alone**, already!"

Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, Drew, and Professor Simus hid in some nearby bushes beside the large lake. They had set up the instant stealth cameras and voice recorders all around the south side of the lake. Christina sat next to Professor Simus and Jeremy, whom had their sketchbooks out and pencils drawn for a sketch.

Angelina, on the other hand, was now starting to feel the torment of sleep, which was indicated by her bobbing head. Chocolate was now perched on Drew's shoulder because the bobbing was driving her crazy. Crimson had been feeling quite sleepy himself and was recalled to his Pokeball.

"I gots a question, Professor," Christina turned to Professor Simus. "How exactly is that odd-colored Dratini going to get here?"

"That's simple: there's an underground canal that leads right into Azile Lake that Dratini is bound to follow." Simus answered.

"Gee, look who's suddenly interested?" Drew said and Christina blushed a bit.

"Yep, you're right! Didn't know what fun I'd be missing—" Christina stopped abruptly when Angelina's snoring drowned out her voice.

"Somebody wake her up or we'll miss our chance," Professor Simus hissed and Jeremy shook Angelina awake.

The moonlight pierced through the misty fog blanketing the lake. It was cleared just enough to see the black and starry night. The reflection of the distant planetary body beamed into the water, bright but a bit wavy.

"Wha…." Angelina yawned and rubbed her eyes. It had been a few minutes and they have yet to see any Pokemon. She was seriously finding it hard to stay awake; her eyes were begging to shut for the night. Maybe if she hadn't stayed out fishing all night, she wouldn't have been sleepy. But then, she wouldn't have found her fox partner either. She was bout to doze off again, when something in the water caught her eye. The brief rush of excitement was enough to wake her up completely and she struggled to see it better.

A small light traveled from the underwater back and started towards the middle of the pool. It floated through the blue with little effort and resistance. The light came to a silent stop directly in the center. For a while, it just sat there and left the viewers in suspense before fading away.

'_**Is that it? Is that what we've been waiting for?'**_ Drew thought with a pang of disappointment.

'_**Maybe my research was inaccurate and Dratini is not going to appear in this spot.'**_ Professor Simus started to doubt his research.

Suddenly, the light reappeared from the black depths of the lake and slowly grew bigger—whatever it was started to surface! The tons of the water rippled a little faster and wider. Professor Simus could feel his insides wriggle as he watched on with excitement.

'_**Here it comes!'**_ Drew thought, and there was a splash from the middle of Azile lake.

The five watched it emerge from the middle of the lake like an elegant swan. The Dratini's white body shone as bright as the moon itself. Shimmering specks of light drifted from its radiant body. It shook the water off itself and started to swim around the lake a bit. "Dratini, Dratini, tini-tini," it sang.

The secret cameras Simus and Drew planted took flashless pictures of the Pokemon from the stealth.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Professor Simus said as he and Jeremy sketched Dratini quite accurately.

Christina watched in complete awe, but Angelina selected the _**"Diary"**_ icon on her Pokedex and aimed the little transceiver at the Pokemon. Immediately, a recording started on the screen, taking in all of Dratini's movements. "Professor Oak would love to see footage like this." Angelina said to herself.

"You guys can sit here and take pictures, but I'm going to take action." Drew grabbed the Pokeball from his belt and pressed the button in the middle.

"What're you going to do?" Christina asked him.

"What's it look like? I'm gonna' catch it—"

"Oh, no you're not!" Jeremy, Angelina, and Professor Simus hissed, grasped Drew by the arm, and kept him from getting up.

"Drew, if you go out and catch it, you'll ruin Professor Simus's research. Not to mention scare off Dratini." Angelina told him.

Drew folded his arms and frowned, watching Dratini turned-tail and start slithering back into the lake.

_**To Be Continued**_

I almost got a writer's block trying to finish this chapter, so I decided that no one catches the Dratini. Okay, next chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading, leave comments please!


	7. Zakuden Rest

Hey guys, thanks for reviewing! I got a writer's block last chapter, so no one captured the Dratini! So here's the next chapter, not based on an episode! I don't own Pokemon except my own characters and events/ideas, enjoy!

Chapter 7: Zakuden Rest

"About time!" Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew gave a relieved smile at the sight before them.

The winding and twisting forest had finally ended and they stood before yet another town. It was nice to see houses and roads again instead of trees and dirt paths again. The fresh smell of food drifted along the air, arousing their growling stomachs. After a week of traveling, our heroes finally make it to Zakuden Town. Even though Petalburg Woods is just behind them, are Angelina and her friends out of the woods yet?

Angelina patted her mini skirt, which was now covered with dirt and dust. "I can't wait to get to the Pokemon Center; I need to wash my clothes." she said.

The four passed the line that separated the forest from Zakuden Town and started down the sidewalk.

"There should be a Pokemon Center around here somewhere. Maybe we could call Professor Oak there while we're at it." Jeremy said.

"That's a good idea. I have to send him the data in my Pokedex anyway." Angelina added, then she noticed Drew's confusion. "Oh sorry, I forgot you don't know Professor Oak."

"Actually I do since I know you and Christina are from the Kanto Region," Drew informed. "I read up some information on you, and since you're from Pallet Town, that's the same place where Professor Oak lives also. I happen to know that he does the Talk Show with DJ Mary."

"Okay, thanks for telling me now." Angelina said.

Jeremy was too busy reading the Pokemon Guide book to engage in their conversation. ".…well that's strange." he looked up and started gazing around the sky blue houses and white fences.

The sun in the cloudless sky reflected its rays off of the town's colors and made it brighter than it really was. All of the people were a hustle and bustle of Pokemon talk. Angelina had to resist the urge of Pokedexing the many different Pokemon that caught her eyes.

"Hmm, where could they be?" Jeremy flipped through the pages of the book again.

"Don't tell me you're still looking at that map?" Drew leaned over nosily and peaked down at the Pokemon Guide Book.

"Look, Zakuden is supposed to be the town of flowers and pleasant smells, but I don't see any at all." Jeremy said.

"Gimme' that." "Hey!" Drew swiped the book out of Jeremy's hand and looked at it. "That's because we're not in the town square. Learn to read in full detail before you go blabbing off."

"I was getting to that part!" Jeremy said through clenched teeth.

Angelina and Christina sweated anime style and glanced back at them, hoping another fight wouldn't break out.

"Look you guys! There's the Pokemon Center." Christina said hastily and pointed out in front.

The dome-shaped, red-roofed Pokemon Center stood out like a sore thumb at the edge of the sidewalk.

"C'mon Chocolate, I'll race you to the Pokemon Center." Angelina said to her Pokemon.

"Pika-pikachu!" Chocolate leapt off of her shoulder and the two started to sprint down the sidewalk.

As Angelina ran, something on a lamppost caught her attention. A poster had the words _**"wanted"**_ typed at the top, succeeded by a photograph. The man looked just a little bit older than twenty years. His face complimented his strong blue eyes. What caught Angelina's attention the most was the outfit he was wearing; a red hooded-shirt with some kind of horned head. In the middle of the shirt was the shadow of a mountain. The ensemble was completed with black pants and matching shoes and gloves to boot. _**'A reward for that guy's capture? I wonder how much…'**_ Angelina thought to herself.

Chocolate was the first to reach the Pokemon Center door, followed by Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew. Angelina and Chocolate were fine; but Jeremy, Christina, and Drew were panting from the run.

"That was a good one, Chocolate…. hey, what's wrong with you guys?" Angelina turned to them.

"The next time you two decide to race, warn us okay?" Jeremy panted. They pushed through the doors of the Pokemon Center and walked inside.

"Hey! Are you in relation to the Nurse Joy in Petalburg City?" Angelina ran up to the counter. She didn't even take the time to notice all the people chatting around her in the building.

"Oh yes, you must be an acquaintance of my cousin." Nurse Joy replied.

"Your cousin?" Christina blinked.

"I take it you're Pokemon trainers? It just so happens that I keep a very special picture for trainers like you." The nurse reached under the counter and pulled out a photograph.

"So, it's a photograph.…—!?"

"Hey, what's up with that?" Drew stepped up and looked at it too.

"They all look like you!" Christina gazed at each of the posing nurses.

"Yup, that's my family portrait. There's some weird gene that causes us all to look alike." Nurse Joy told the four.

"I understand you looking alike, but what does that have to do with—" "Don't even go there, Drew." Jeremy stopped his little brother before he could crack a joke.

"How about I heal your Pokemon for you?" Nurse Joy asked, sweating anime style.

"Sure," the four handed Joy their Pokeballs (and Chocolate) and left from the counter.

Angelina pinched her skirt and shirt with a look of disgust. "I'll meet you three later, I'm going to go wash my clothes." she told her friends and Christina.

"We'll wait for you in the lobby." "Yeah, be ready to call Professor Oak when you get back." Jeremy and Drew told her while Christina waved.

Angelina nodded and started towards the trainer maintenance hall. While she walked, her eyes once again fell on another wanted poster.** 'I wonder who that guy could be.'** She thought to herself before disappearing in the hall.

"Hey Jer, Angelina's first gym match is coming up." Drew said to Jeremy once they sat down; Christina watched them curiously.

"**And**? What's wrong?" Jeremy asked him.

"Well, as strong as she may seem—she isn't ready to face off a Hoenn gym leader."

"You may be right, but I've known Angelina since she was ten and I've seen her do some amazing things." Jeremy said.

"Let's just hope he can produce another amazing feat when we get to Rustburo." Drew folded his arms.

Just like she said, Angelina came out soon with her outfit freshly cleaned. She felt happy to be smudge and dirt free; she even polished the Crystal Bell to perfection.

"Now all I have to do is get my Pokemon and find something to eat!" Angelina walked over to her friends and sister.

"Great, Nurse Joy should be done now." Drew said; he, Jeremy, and Christina stood up.

"Before we leave, we need to phone Professor Oak and tell him where we are." Jeremy added.

The four grabbed their backpacks and walked up to the front counter.

"Hi there," Nurse Joy smiled to them. "Your Pokemon are ready for you." She moved over to the side counter and picked up a yellow tray. Chocolate was sitting on it beside five other Pokeballs.

"Pika-pika!" Chocolate smiled and leapt onto her trainer's shoulder.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Angelina said and took her Pokemon back. Drew, Jeremy, and Christina did the same.

The four then stepped over to the videophone next to the counter. Angelina picked up the receiver and dialed Professor Oak's lab number. On the video screen, a picture of a Pikachu carrying a letter appeared as a screen saver for the dial tone. There was a beep and Professor Oak's face popped up on the screen.

"Hello, Professor Oak," Angelina, Jeremy, and Christina said.

"It's about time you called me; I was beginning to think you forgot." Professor Oak smiled, then he noticed Drew. "And I see you've got a new traveler?"

"Yes, this is Jeremy's little brother Drew." Angelina introduced as Drew waved. "We met him back in Petalburg City. Anyway, I called so you could check my Pokedex."

"Good, good; just stick your Pokedex in the slot by the phone."

Angelina's eyes fell on a slender rectangular opening at the base underneath the video-screen. Still holding the receiver to her ear, she fumbled into her backpack and pulled out her Pokedex; once inserted into the slot, there was a series of clicks and beeps.

"I'm downloading the information right now. In the meantime, where are you four?"

"We're in Zakuden Town, Professor." Angelina said to Professor Oak.

"Zakuden Town? You're almost to Rustburo City and your first gym match." Professor Oak said.

"That's right," Angelina grinned and held her fist up, "I'm ready to wipe the floor with that gym leader!"

"A bit sure of yourself, aren't you?" Professor Oak gave a chuckle, "While I'm pretty sure you can overcome any obstacle in your path, keep in mind that Hoenn is a lot tougher than Johto or Kanto."

"You worry too much, Professor—" There was a loud beep that cut Angelina's voice off.

"Oh, that must mean the downloading is done." Professor Oak said and Angelina pulled her Pokedex out. "Well, I have to go, and I'll tell Tracey your hellos'. Have fun and call soon." With that, he hung up and the screen went black.

"Now that that's all said and done, let's get something to eat!" Angelina hung up and started for the door, the gang followed right behind.

The beautiful town square was a hustle and bustle of activity and people. What really made it colorful was the elegant alignment of different flowers. Each stand and each block was littered with some sort of colored plant. However, even though the chatting was loud, Angelina's crunching broke through it all with each rice cracker he ate.

"Eck! Angel, do you **have** to crunch so darn loud?" Drew covered his ears angrily.

Angelina didn't reply back, but kept eating; Jeremy chuckled at this.

Christina was too busy admiring the different kinds of products people were selling: _**"Flower portraits, come get your flower portraits!"**_ or _**"Come get your exotic perfumes and cologne—specially imported from Anna's Shack!"**_ or _**"Have an ailment? Have some of Anna's Herbal cures."**_ Or even, _**"Come get your Poke flutes. We sell flutes of all kinds!"**_

"Huh?" Angelina glanced to the side at a stand with a dozen different kinds of flutes. From glass, to marble, to wood, each flute looked uniquely different. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she pulled away from her group and started over to the stand.

"What kinds of Poke flutes are they?" Angelina asked the vendor.

The man looked up at Angelina and tightened his white headband. "Are you a customer?" He asked a little eagerly.

"Uh…. I think so." "Pikachu," Angelina and Chocolate said.

"Finally, someone who will buy my merchandise!" The vendor almost burst into tears, "Please tell me you'll buy one—two—or even three!—" (Angelina sweats anime style) "—I've gotten these all the way from Fallabor Town and not one person in this town wants one."

"What do they do, anyway?" Angelina asked him.

"Well, just pick one that looks good and I'll tell you." The vendor replied to her.

"Hmmm…." Angelina looked from flute to flute. She really liked the blue one made of glass, but the marble one was even more tempting. "Which one should I chose, Chocolate?"

"Pika!" Chocolate pointed to the marble one.

"Okay, how about that one right there that my Pikachu is pointing to?" Angelina asked.

"Ah, this particular flute, when played right, can attract wild Pokemon within a thirty yard radius. I'll not only give you the flute, but a complete set of playing instructions, tuner, cleaning kit, and an instructional video all for the incredibly low price of fifteen hundred dollars."

"Eck!" Angelina blinked, but the vendor grinned. "Sorry; I can't afford this." Angelina started to back away slowly, sweating anime style. She didn't have the money to buy all that—she barely had enough to go on as it was!

"Hey, wait—come back! How about twelve hundred?"

"See ya'!" Angelina shouted towards the vendor as she started to run away.

"Okay—a thousand and no less!"

"Forget about it!" Angelina shouted and hurried off.

It wasn't long before Angelina ran into her friends again. She saw Christina try to drag Drew into a photo booth while Jeremy stood off to the side laughing.

"C'mon, Drew, just one photo—it's only one!" Christina said as she nudged a resisting Drew into the booth.

"Christina, stop it! I'm serious; photo's don't like me and I don't like them!" Drew shouted.

"Hey, guys, I—whaa!" "Excuse us, Miss." Just before Angelina could go over to them, a group of police officers—all of which looked the same—dashed by her. One of them bumped into her and they fell to the ground.

"Ooohaa…. oh—Chocolate, where are you?!" Angelina sat up quickly and aware. She glanced around frantically for her Pokemon; she couldn't bare the thought of someone crushing her.

"I caught her for you." A pair of white-gloved hands held out Chocolate to Angelina and she took her up gratefully.

"Gee, thanks." Angelina smiled; recognizing the woman as Officer Jenny. She has sea-green hair, red eyes, electric pink lipstick, and wore a female version of a police uniform; a navy skirt and shirt topped off with an officer's hat.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to get going."

"Where are all of you going?" Angelina asked, helping her up.

"I don't have time. Team Magma will—" the officer stared at Angelina for a little bit, "By any chance, are you a Pokemon Trainer?"

"Yes," Angelina replied.

"You are? Great; then follow me." "Hey!" Without warning, the officer grabbed Angelina's arm and started running down the street. "C'mon Jer, Drew, Tina!" Her voice shook as she passed them by.

Christina blinked, but Drew didn't waste any time in ditching her; he broke free of her grip and started rushing after his friend with Jeremy, "Wait, we're coming!" He shouted.

"Hey, don't leave me, too!" Christina shouted, but Drew and Jeremy didn't slow down. With a growl, she reluctantly picked up her own pace after them.

An entire group of policewomen were lined up at the edge of town, looking out to the fields in the distance. At their sides were dog-like Pokemon with horizon orange fur, white underbody fur, bushy tails, and black tiger strikes from the neck down.

The officer dragging Angelina stopped behind her ranks and spoke to them, "I have some more Pokemon trainers, Officer Jenny." She said.

"Has the other arrived?"

"Yes, Jenny; he's right over there." the look-a-like officer pointed to the left end of the ranks to another person. It was a boy who had his arms folded, had dark brown hair and purple eyes. He was wearing a white jacket, a blue shirt, white shorts, and had a blue bag strapped across his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Officer Jenny, but why are we all here?" Drew asked the policewomen

"What're those, Angel?" Christina eyed the dog Pokemon.

Angelina smiled and took out her Pokedex.

'_**Growlithe, the Puppy Pokemon. Growlithe are very territorial and will not hesitate to bite an enemy that invades its home. This Pokemon uses its keen sense of smell to find its food.'**_

"No wonder they're police dogs. I don't think any criminal could escape from them." Angelina commented.

"What's going on, Officer Jenny? Why are you all recruiting trainers?" Jeremy asked and one of the Officer Jenny's turned to him.

"About a couple of weeks ago, some Pokemon gang got it into their heads that they could just wreck this town up whenever they please. While that is a vandalism offense, it also goes way beyond that." Officer Jenny folded her arms, "Some of the plants we grow here in Zakuden Town are used in Pokemon and Human medicines. So our police force is hiring any trainers that are willing to help join us."

"But we didn't—" Jeremy clasped her hand over Drew's mouth,

"What he's trying to say is that we'd love to help you guys out. Right, Angel?"

"You bet, Officer Jenny," Angelina held up her fist. "This'll be great practice for my up-coming gym match."

"And I'll help, too!" Christina added.

"Good, then just wait over there with the other trainer." Officer Jenny said.

The four nodded and walked over to the other Pokemon trainer.

"Hello there, my name is Angelina Murakami." Angelina held out her hand to the brown-haired kid.

But instead of shaking it, the boy just closed his eyes arrogantly. With a superior kind of air, he folded his arms. "The name's Syorin Hibiki," He said shortly.

"Uh…." Angelina was kind of taken aback by his answer and tried to find something else to converse about. Her eyes fell on a bell hanging around Syorin's neck. The strange thing was that it looked just like her own Crystal Bell, except it was clear. Bingo—she hit a topic!

"Hey, you have a bell just like mine!" Angelina pointed out.

Syorin simply glanced at the Crystal Bell. He didn't really seem interested, just curious. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Angelina blinked, utterly speechless.

"That was rude!" Jeremy shouted.

"Yeah, I wonder what his problem is." Drew added.

Syorin didn't reply, but kept his arrogant air.

The trainers and police had only been waiting for a few mere minutes before a bunch of dark figures came towards them from the other end of the dirt trail. The figures became clearer as they came closer. Angelina, who had been looking through her Pokedex, looked up, and re-pocketed it. Jeremy and Drew stopped arm wrestling and got to their feet along with Syorin and Christina.

The figures became clearer as they came closer. Angelina noticed that they were all wearing the same uniform of the guy on the wanted poster.

"Here they come; everyone get your Pokemon ready." the lead Jenny said.

The group of uniformed figures came to a halt in front of them, grinning.

"This area is restricted to you, Team Magma. Turn around and leave or we'll place you under arrest." The lead officer Jenny said.

"Only fifteen of you? I was expecting more, but this town is too soft to send any real reinforcements." called a voice from within the Magma Grunts, examining the Jenny's and the trainers.

"Who are you guys and why are you destroying this town?" Angelina asked, clenching her fists.

"Aren't you a gutsy girl?" One of the grunts, a girl, said.

"Now, now. The girl has questions. It's only right that we give her answers." a voice from behind sounded. The grunts parted their ranks to reveal a man with spiky black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing the same horn-hooded uniform that was similar to the rest of the team. "I'm Tabitha, co-commander of Team Magma. Our dream is to expand the land and mountains so that Pokemon can benefit. Destroying this town is just a formality; if we clear this town away, other Pokemon will migrate here."

"Pretty confident to just come out with your plan like that, aren't you?" Angelina stated to the man.

"Tabitha, huh? Well then, you're under arrest for assault on medical health and vandalism." Each officer Jenny held up a pair of handcuffs.

"Sorry, but I don't think that's going to happen." At the end of their co-leader's statement, the Magma grunts tossed their Pokeballs into the air and watched them burst open in a furry of light.

The dog-like Pokemon they had sent out had black fur all around except for their orange muzzles and underbodies. Their tails were arrow-tipped, their backs had three 'U'-shaped bones, and there were two horns on top of their heads.

"Scary," Christina whimpered, hiding behind Jeremy.

"What kind of Pokemon are they?" Drew asked; as Angelina pulled out and flipped open her Pokedex.

"Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon. Houndoom communicates with its species using a series of barks and howls. A burn from this Poke'mon can be very severe."

"Just stay out of my way—bad enough I have to baby-sit you." Syorin stepped in front of everyone, pulling a Pokeball from his belt.

"What're you talking about? We all signed up for this!" Drew spat.

"As a Pokemon League Official, I'm all this problem needs." Syorin answered.

"He's…. a P.L.O?" Jeremy clenched his teeth; Angelina gasped in shock, realizing she wasn't the only Master in the region.

"Go, Pokeball!" Syorin threw the Pokeball to the ground and it flashed with a bright light.

"Bulba-Bulbasaur!" The quadruped Pokemon was greenish-blue in color with dark blue spots all over his body. His eyes were red and he had a big green flower bulb on his back.

Angelina knew ahead of time what the Pokemon was, but she pointed her Pokedex at it anyway.

'_**Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. The bulb on Bulbasuar's back is packed with nutrients it needs to survive. As this Pokemon develops and matures, the bulb starts to go into bloom.'**_

"You're going to fight my team and I with a grass-type? You must be **extremely**confident." Tabitha reached at his belt and withdrew his own Pokeball. "This will be a great time to test out my new Pokemon." He opened it and it erupted with light. The Pokemon that came out was as orange as fire with a yellow belly. The little lizard had a brightly burning flame lit at the tip of his tail.

"Char-mander," the fire lizard moped.

"Enough talking; you're just like Team Aqua, and I'll gladly crush you. Chocolate, go!" Angelina pointed and Pikachu jump into battle position.

"Pika!" Chocolate exclaimed.

"Go Dragonite!" "Help out, Roselia!" Jeremy and Drew sent out their Pokemon.

"Go!" The Magma grunts shouted, and the Houndoom charged.

"Now!" the Jenny's pointed and their Growlithe leapt to defend.

"Chocolate, use your Agility!" Angelina ordered and Chocolate started darting around like a bullet, narrowly missing the Houndooms' fire attacks.

"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip to take these weaklings down." Syorin said as if it were no big deal.

"Bulba-saur!" the two long green vines snapped from underneath Bulbasaur's bulb and stretched at the enemy Pokemon; it tripped up a trio of Houndoom like a row of dominos.

"Give 'em your Thundershock, Dragonite!"

"You too, Chocolate!"

Chocolate and Dragonite moved side by side of each other. "Dragooo!" "Pikaaa-chuu!" Amazing sparks of electricity surged from their bodies and shocked the Houndoom.

Any of the Magma grunts the Officer Jenny's defeated; they immediately put them in handcuffs and were shipping them to the Zakuden Police department. BY now, all the people living at the edge of Zakuden Town were in hysteria and pandemonium from the battle.

"Houndoom!" One of the Houndoom carelessly spurted flames from its mouth, not caring about the people around it.

"Yaaaaahhh!" A man shrieked and literally tripped as he tried to get away.

"Chocolate, return!" Angelina called; her Pikachu scurried back as she threw out a Pokeball and revealed her aqua-rabbit Pokemon. "Okay, Spritz; it's time to wrap this battle up!"

"Yeah, whatever."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Angelina asked, outraged at Syorin's comment.

"Just leave everything to me, okay?" Syorin replied.

"Grrrrr!" Angelina clenched her teeth, anger rising to power. "We'll-show-him!" The Crystal Bell erupted with threads of blue light and Angelina's hair went blue along with Spritz's body. She could feel her and her Pokemon's spirit merging— becoming one.

"What's this?" Syorin's pupils shook slightly as he gave Angelina a skeptical look. "Not her—she can't be a—" he voiced lowly.

"Charmander, Slash attack!" Tabitha commanded.

"Char," Charmander, a little less than enthused, jogged towards

Dragonite and swiped at it weakly; Dragonite merely swatted Charmander away with its tail.

"Charmander, what are you doing? You had better shape up or you're going back to the S.C.!" Tabitha threatened.

"You're sick!" Jeremy growled, disgusted with Tabitha's Pokemon handling. "I feel sorry for your Pokemon—it has such a disgusting trainer."

But instead of getting mad, Tabitha just gave a chuckle. "Kid, I have more strength than you'll ever have. I'm just trying to toughen this weakling—"

"Dragon Rage!" Jeremy shouted and Dragonite not only tried to torch Charmander, but its trainer as well with a swirl of blue flames.

"Ack!" Tabitha jumped.

"Spritz, Burst Attack!" Angelina demanded.

"Azu-mariiiiii!" Azumarill's body burst with sharp threads of light blue light, taking out the rest of Team Magma's Houndoom.

"Oh-no, we're out of Pokemon!" "Blast! Those kids are too strong!" The grunts growled.

"Team Magma, leave the Pokemon and retreat for now!" Tabitha ordered. Without hesitation, Team Magma turned-tail and ran off.

"Hey! You're all under arrest!" One of the Jenny's started after them, but another stopped her. "Forget about them; they're leaving."

"Good job, Spritz, return," Angelina recalled her Azumarill, just as the Crystal Bell power wore off.

"Hey, get out of there!" Christina snatched her backpack away from the nosy Charmander, who had gotten a hold of her nightcap. It was a rather large hat, navy in color, with little yellow moons and stars sewn all over.

"C'mon, Bulbasaur," Syorin shifted his bag, turned, and walked away with his eyes closed arrogantly. Bulbasaur followed its trainer with the same kind of attitude.

"Hey, wait; I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot." Angelina called after him, but Syorin didn't stop.

"Next time we meet, Origin Waker, we will be bitter rivals. Perhaps, even enemies." Syorin stated in an arrogant and calm manner.

"Origin wa—Hey! Just how did you know that?!" Angelina asked, taken aback.

Instead of replying, however, Syorin just kept walking until he disappeared into the distance.

"Hey, Angel, what's he talking about? What's an Origin Waker?" Drew asked.

"Uh…. oh, it's nothing—nothing! He was just…. that's all!" Angelina waved her arms frantically to try and distract him, "But enough about that, there's some business we have to take care of." She looked towards the Houndoom. They all stood on the soft grass, looking at her. Normally, they would've attacked Angelina, but was that any way to repay someone who helped them out?

Angelina walked up to the one in the front and reached for it. Houndoom didn't flinch or move as she rubbed its muzzle. "I can't really say your trainers were that eager to get you all back."

"Uuuhrr…." All of the Houndoom stared at the ground with crushed expressions.

"Perhaps you all would do better in the wild anyway. You could live together as a group or something." Angelina suggested.

The Houndoom looked from Angelina to each other and back with questioned expressions.

"Let me explain: You are all free now and you don't have to be under the control of humans." Angelina reinforced. It took a little bit, but the Houndoom got the point. With one last look at their new friend, they dashed off into the trees. Angelina smiled to them; she knew they were going to be fine.

"Are you guys okay?" Jenny asked; rushing up to the young trainers.

"Yeah, we're fine. Too bad I can't say the same for Team Magma." Jeremy answered.

"And don't worry about that Syorin-kid. He left earlier." Angelina added a little reproachfully.

"What about this little one?" Officer Jenny picked up Charmander, who was still clutching Christina's nightcap. "Hmm…." she scratched her cheek, "Perhaps Nurse Joy could take care of him."

At the Pokemon Center, Officer Jenny explained the situation with Nurse Joy with the help of Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina.

"Of course, I'll be glad to take this Charmander in. He could help me around the center." Nurse Joy took Charmander over the counter.

"Well, I'll leave this to you. I have to file a report on the arrested Team Magma Members. Thanks to all of you." After a quick salute, Officer Jenny left out of the Pokemon Center.

"We had better get going, too. We may be close, but Rustburo City is still a good ways away." Angelina said. "We'll see ya' later." The four started away, waving.

"Charmander, char," Charmander leapt off the counter and stopped at Christina's feet. With an innocent look, it held up her sleeping cap to her.

"Nah, you keep it. You seem to really like it, so consider it a gift." Christina put the cap on its head and smiled to it.

"Char…." Charmander blinked.

Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina waved goodbye and left the Pokemon Center.

"Hmmm…." Charmander watched.

The afternoon crept up on them so fast that it was unbelievable. The orange, yellow, and red sky made the fields look colorful and full of life.

Angelina walked in the lead of her sister and two friend down the dirt road in the field. "We're almost to Rustburo City. All we have to do is cross Ojho Bridge and we'll be there." she said happily, "And from there, my first gym badge."

"Pretty confident?" Drew smiled.

"Hey, guys…." Christina started, walking backwards.

"What's up, Tina?" Angelina asked.

"I think that Pokemon is following us."

"Following us?" Angelina, Drew, and Jeremy turned around as well.

"Char-char-char-char-char!" Charmander ran towards them from down the trail with its arms outstretched. It was still wearing Christina's sleeping cap on its head.

"Hey, Charmander, do you want to come with us?" Jeremy walked out and knelt down with her arms outstretched.

"Charmander!" Charmander smiled; it reached Jeremy's arms—and zoomed right past him.

"Huh? What gives?" Jeremy blinked. Charmander blew right past her, Drew, and Angelina; jumping into Christina's arms.

"Do you want to tag along with me?" Christina asked it.

"Char-char," it smiled.

"Then that's settled; Charmander is my new Poke'pal!" Christina smiled as well.

"Now wait a minute. Why do you get Charmander?" Jeremy questioned jealously, forgetting that he already owned a Charizard.

"Bleh!" Christina stuck her tongue out at her, "Too bad!" she broke out into a sprint down the trail.

That's not fair, Christina!" Jeremy shouted and chased after her.

"Hey, wait for us, you two!" Angelina smiled, she and Drew and ran right behind them.

And so, our heroes continue on their way to Rustburo City with their hopes high. They're not sure what adventures lay before them, but are willing to take them all head-on.

**§To Be Continued§**

Okay, new information in this if you caught it all! Team Magma makes their appearance, except for their leader Maxie; a new character named Syorin Hibiki whom holds a Clear Bell and is an Origin Waker; and then Angelina is also an Origin Waker. You're probably confused, but I'll explain everything in a much later chapter. Thanks for reading, the next chapter will be up soon!


	8. School Showdown

Hey, sorry if I confused you in the last chapter, but I'll explain that certain part in another later chapter. So here's the next one! I don't own Pokemon, enjoy!

**Chapter 8: School Showdown**

The long and broad Ojho Bridge sat atop the vast lake, lonely thus so far except for four traveling trainers. The sun was hidden by glum black clouds that threatened to rain heavily. Nevertheless, the fish Pokemon of the lake leapt and danced in the water as if it were a typical day. As Angelina's gang head for Rustburo City, they cross the Ojhokohiashi Bridge—or Ojho for short—over Granite Lake.

"Hey Angel, what's bothering you?" Jeremy's voice echoed across the water.

Angelina was walking with her arms folded and seemed to be in serious thought. She stopped for a little bit to look up at the dark sky, "I have a gym match coming up and I haven't battled anyone for a while."

"Are you **blind**? There are two trainers right behind you." Drew told her.

But to Angelina, fighting her friends wouldn't help her cause. She needed to fight someone she knew nothing about. Someone…. someone like that Syorin-kid.

"We can stop right now and have a practice battle." Jeremy suggested.

"It just wouldn't be the same if I battle you. I need someone from around the area." Angelina replied.

Jeremy and Drew looked to each other and shrugged their shoulders.

A red-scaled fish Pokemon, a Magikarp, flopped into the air and splashed back into the lake, splashing droplets of water all over the group. They had only been silent for a short while when Christina pointed out in front of them.

"Hey, who's that kid down there?"

Sitting on the edge of the wooden bridge was a small boy wearing some kind of black school uniform. The slight breeze blew against his short brown hair. He had a fishing pole cast into the lake off to the side.

"Huu! He may be—" Angelina grinned, "—a Pokemon trainer!" she ran up to the kid. "Hello, there—yes you!"

The boy looked to Angelina with a rather dull expression at first.

"Hi, there!" Angelina smiled when she caught up to him.

"Uh…. that's a Pikachu on your shoulder, isn't it?" The boy pointed to Chocolate, who was lying on Angelina's shoulder, "That must mean that you're a Pokemon Trainer."

"Yes I am. Do you want to have a battle with me?" Angelina asked him.

"**Do I**?!" The boy jumped up suddenly and tossed his fishing pole aside. An eager look spread on his face.

It wasn't long before Jeremy, Drew, and Christina caught up with them. The boy and Angelina stood facing each other from opposite sides of the bridge, reaching to their belts.

"Hmph, I guess she's gonna' get that battle she wanted anyway." Drew smirked and flicked his hair; Jeremy and Christina nodded.

"By the way, my name is Zeal Hobby and I'm from Rustburo City." The boy stated to his opponent.

"I'm Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town. I won't hold back on you." Angelina looked to her Pikachu on her shoulder. "Let's go, Chocolate!"

"Pi!" Chocolate jumped off Angelina's shoulder and onto the ground.

"Then I choose Zigzagoon." Zeal threw a poke'ball into the air and it burst open to reveal a brown and white striped and spiky raccoon-like Pokemon.

"Whoa, what's a Zigzagoon?" Angelina raised her eyebrow, she took out her Pokedex and pointed it at the stripped Pokemon.

"_**Zigzagoon, the Raccoon Pokemon,"**_ the Pokedex replied. _**"This Pokemon is restlessly wanders everywhere at all times and does so because it is very curious and becomes interested in anything it happens to see."**_

"Zago-Zagoon!"

"Let's get this battle started with a Thunder Wave, Chocolate!" Angelina exclaimed and her Pokemon's body became enshrouded by a thin wave of electricity.

"Zigzagoon, time to counter with your Headbutt." Zeal ordered.

"Is he serious?" Drew blinked.

"I think he has no idea of what he's doing." Jeremy said.

Without question, Zigzagoon raced towards Chocolate at top speed with her head lowered.

"Release Thunder Wave now!"

"Chuuu!" Chocolate got on all fours and waited till her opponent was close; she released electricity surrounded Zigzagoon and practically rendered him immobile.

"Za-za-za-zagoon!" Zigzagoon shook a bit in an effort to move.

Unfortunately, Chocolate's lack of control of her own power resulted in a backfiring jolt. "Pi-ah!" she growled in a wince.

"Oh-no, my Zigzagoon!" Zeal took a shocked step back.

"Now, Chocolate, it's time to bring this to an early end. Thundershock Attack!" Angelina stated, clenching her fist. Chocolate leapt on Zigzagoon's back and her body started to spark wildly.

"Piii—kaaa—chuu!" Chocolate released a surge of electricity, shivering from shocking both herself and Zigzagoon.

"Zagooon!" Zigzagoon exclaimed. In a bursting jolt, Zigzagoon was shocked into submission. "Zagoon," he let out a puff of smoke as he fell to the ground.

"That was great, Chocolate. Though, we still have to do something about that feedback problem." Angelina slapped her dizzy Pikachu a high five for her quick victory. Chocolate teetered back and forth and eventually had to grab her trainer's leg to keep still. "Piiii…." her eyes swirled dizzily.

"Huh," Zeal let out a sigh as he walked up to his exhausted Pokemon. The sad expression he had earlier was back and he mumbled, "Now I'll never pass that test."

"What'd ya' mean?" Angelina asked, Chocolate somehow found the coordination to climb up Angelina's arm to rest on her shoulder.

"Is there something wrong?" Jeremy cut in on the conversation and walked over to them.

Zeal looked up at the four from the ground. "You'll have to excuse me; the only reason I challenged you was because I thought you were a weak trainer."

"You thought **what****?!**" Angelina blinked at the insult. Did she really look that weak? Well, of course she wasn't the most intimidating person in the world…. Just how weak **did** she look anyway?

"Please don't take me the wrong way. I meant that you looked more like a beginner just like me." Zeal added hastily, waving his arms wildly.

"So why are you so interested in picking out weak targets anyway?" Drew asked.

"Hey!!" Angelina growled at Drew.

But Drew just ignored her and continued his question, "As a Pokemon Trainer, shouldn't you be trying to find a strong opponent?"

"Yeah, well, that's what I'm **supposed**to do. I have to try and practice on begging trainers because, as a student, I'm a failure. But if I apply what I learn in school, I could actually win a battle." Zeal picked up his Zigzagoon and started to stroke his back. Slowly, Zizagoon shook himself out of his daze just enough to open his eyes. "As you can see, I don't pay much attention and that's why I'm at the bottom of my class."

"Class? Say, you must go to Rustburo Prep School." Jeremy pointed out, slamming his fist into his hand, "But school is still in, isn't it?"

"It's lunch break. I thought I'd use it to get some studying in."

"Gee, Zeal, I know how you feel because I still have a lot to learn. Maybe there's some way I can help." Angelina stated.

"Oh—there is! C'mon!" Suddenly, Zeal grabbed Angelina by the arm and started racing down Ojho Bridge.

"Hey, wait!" Drew, Jeremy, and Christina ran after them. They were going so fast that Chocolate was forced to hold on or risk falling off her trainer's shoulders.

"Zeal—wait a minute—let go of me! Stop it; don't make me hurt you, Zeal!" Angelina shouted angrily. She nearly fell over numerous times trying to keep up with the tugging.

"As long as you don't hit me with that whip," Zeal said.

Ohjo Bridge broke off into a hill of grass before Rustburo City burst into view. The beautiful buildings were created with a combination of metal and stone.

Zeal dragged Angelina and her friends across the cobblestone streets, barreling right by the people. He held up his arm and glanced at his wristwatch. "I think I can make it on time." He said. He made a couple of wicked turns until a giant school building caught their sight.

"Zeal, slow down; I have to stop and rest." Drew stopped along the sidewalk and leaned on a lamppost to catch his breath.

"Hey…. Don't stop…. Now," Jeremy was one to talk as he chose the next lamppost down to rest at.

"Yeah, wait!" Christina added, panting beside Jeremy.

Angelina, however, wasn't as fortunate to get a rest for she was being pulled against her will.

Zeal pushed through the doors of Rustburo Prep and that's when he started to slow down. "Ssshhh!" He said to Angelina, "Roxanne is volunteer-teaching for the tutoring club."

At first, Angelina didn't hear anything—the school was so silent, she thought it was empty. However, she could tell that something was going on because Chocolate's ears were twitching.

Angelina closed her eyes to block off everything except her sense of hearing. "….And today…. about Pokemon attacks…. lesson in…. got that?" It was faint, but she could definitely hear someone talking. It was as if someone was speaking into a pillow.

"Hey—" "Yah!" Angelina snapped her attention back to reality at the sound of Zeal's voice.

"Let's go; I'm sure Mr. Tate won't mind a visitor." Zeal turned and motioned for Angelina to follow. The two walked across the squishy red carpet until they came to room three—fourteen. Zeal pushed through the door.

It was amazing; never had Angelina seen such a classroom. It looked like a small stadium with chairs, tables, and a big desk at the other end of the wall. A bunch of students, all wearing the same uniform as Zeal, were sitting at the desks, taking notes on the girl up in front. She didn't look much older than the students; she had long black hair and violet eyes. Unlike the other students, she was wearing a light purple dress with black spandex pants underneath. Sitting at the desk behind her was a brown-haired man wearing glasses and a gray suit.

Angelina slowly took a few steps backwards, wondering if anyone had even seen her come in—and backed into something warm. Something _breathing_. Shrieking, she fell forward, caught herself on a desk, and spun around.

"Hello, what's this? Do I know you?"

Angelina silently groaned. A familiar man in sunglasses was leaning against the wall, apparently studying her.

"Hey! In Oldale Town, remember?" Angelina demanded, putting her glove-clad right hand on her hip and shooting him a patronizing look.

"Oh, right…" the guy smirked. "Well, might as well introduce myself then. The name's Scott."

"Er… I'm Angelina," she replied awkwardly. "That's my little sister Christina, and my friends Jeremy and Drew." she pointed towards her traveling companions.

"So, what _would_ you be looking for _here_?" Scott mused.

"The gym, of course!" Angelina exclaimed. "But—but—it's a school!"

"Didn't you know? This is Rustboro's Trainer School, and the gym's down the street," Scott answered. "You _are_ a trainer, then? Interesting…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Angelina cried.

Scott's smirk grew. "You'll see."

"You see, class," The girl pointed to a green lizard-like Pokemon with a curly tail and a red zigzag across its stomach. Angelina grinned for she knew that Pokemon well. Back when she was in Johto and still following her brother, Angelina had seen a Kecleon and watched in awe of it's unique ability in battle. "Kecleon's color change ability can be an effective weapon." The girl continued, "If your opponent decides to use a special move in battle, Kecleon can copy its type and become more durable against those kinds of attacks. This should give the user an edge." The class clapped as she and Kecleon took a bow.

Upon returning to their seats, Angelina stepped in and added, "Actually, Miss, there's a flaw in your answer."

The girl and the class turned to Angelina and she dared to step into the room some more. By now; Jeremy, Christina, and Drew had caught up and were watching their bold friend potentially make a fool of herself.

"What's she doing? She can't just go in and correct the tutor." Zeal hissed.

"Don't worry; I somehow think this won't turn out as bad as it looks." Jeremy assured him.

"While Kecleon's Color Change ability is powerful, too much dependence on it could lead to the loss of a battle." Angelina explained.

Now, the teacher was eyeing Angelina carefully. He didn't say anything, so he must've been interested.

"Color change won't help if you're fighting a dragon or ghost type Pokemon. On the contrary, the battler using the Kecleon would be the ones at a disadvantage unless Kecleon could learn a ghost or dragon type attack." Suddenly, Angelina's consciousness returned to her with the sudden shock of the class's eyes upon her. She froze up that quickly and was rendered unable to speak for a quick second.

"Hey, you, with the Pokemon on your shoulder!" Someone from the back called, "Could you repeat that last bit, please? I didn't finish writing it."

"Huh?" Angelina's cheeks went red.

"That's very interesting." The teacher stood from the desk. Zeal, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina walked into the classroom and Zeal quickly took his seat upon entering.

"What is your name, Miss?" The teacher asked.

"Er…." Angelina backed up to her friends. She found it easier to speak around them. "I'm Angelina Murakami, this is my sister Christina, and my two friends Jeremy and Drew." she pointed out.

"I'm Mr. Tate. You seem to know a lot about Pokemon."

"Well…. I do happen to be the Official Pokemon League Master of Kanto and Johto." Angelina smiled nervously.

"Then you must be really good if you pointed out a flaw in _**my**_ analysis." The girl started back towards the front of the class, her Kecleon following her. "My name is Roxanne and I'm the top student in this school." She shook Angelina's hand and eyed her Pokemon. "Your Pikachu's fur coat is very healthy. You did a great job in raising it." she reached up her hand and went to touch Chocolate; her red cheeks sparked a little and Angelina backed up a bit.

"Sorry, but my Pikachu isn't too great with other people yet." Angelina told her.

Roxanne drew her hand back and turned to the teacher. Angelina thought she'd be mad or something, but a smile still remained on her face. "Mr. Tate, if you don't mind, I'd like to request a demonstration."

"A demonstration?" Mr. Tate blinked.

"Angelina," Roxanne turned back to Angelina, "I challenge you to a battle."

"To a battle?" Angelina grinned.

The desks in the classroom were pushed back against the wall and the students (along with Jeremy, Drew, and Christina) sat on the floor. Angelina and Roxanne faced each other on opposite sides of the room with Mr. Tate in the middle of them. There were two Pokeballs held in his hands. "You will have to choose from these two Pokemon to battle with." He said.

"You mean, I can't use my own Pokemon?" Angelina asked.

Jeremy wanted to hit Angelina for asking such a _**"duh"**_ statement.

"I'm simply testing your abilities as a trainer; how well you can adapt to different Pokemon." Mr. Tate replied, "You may choose one you think will be the best."

Angelina looked at the two pokeballs before her. To choose a Pokemon she knew close to nothing about was like already losing fifty percent of the battle. But if she chose right, the match would be all too easy. "I'll choose this one." she took the pokeball on the right.

"Then I'll take this one." Roxanne took the remaining one.

The two turned back towards each other with a look of determination.

"Pokemon, I choose you!" Angelina threw the pokeball to the ground and it flashed open. The inhabitant was a turtle-like Pokemon, turquoise in color. Her shell was a tough brown on the back and a shiny yellow on the front; her eyes were red and her tail was curly like a squirrel's. "It's a Squirtle!" Angelina exclaimed.

Roxanne let her pokeball fly from her hand. "Pokemon, I choose you!" It burst open to reveal a Pokemon that looked like a thin root with two other roots for legs. His head looked like a yellow bell with a pink mouth and two dots for eyes. The two leaves at his sides acted like arms.

"Oh-no, a Bellsprout!" Christina said. It was a common fact that grass Pokemon had a type advantage over water types like Squirtle.

"Bellsprout!" the grass Pokemon voiced.

The students scooted closer with interested looks.

"Let the battle begin." Mr. Tate jumped from the middle of the two combatants.

"This is going to be easy! Bellsprout, use Razor Leaf!" Roxanne shouted as her first attack.

"Bellsprout-sprout!" Bellsprout swung his arms wildly and two razor-sharp leaves whirled through the air sharply.

'**If these Pokemon are truly at the same level….'** Angelina thought to herself, "Squirtle, Water Gun attack!"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle made a gurgling sound as she spat a jet-stream of water; the two attacks collided and quickly ended in a stalemate.

"Bellsprout," Roxanne sounded calm and collected wile Angelina worked on instincts, "Get close and attack with your Cut Attack."

"Bellsprout!" Bellsprout rushed up at a quick pace to Squirtle. "Sprout-sprout- sprout- sprout- sprout- sprout!"

Squirtle was forced to do a weird dance as she narrowly dodged Bellsprout's sharp, leaf-like arms.

'**This can't keep up like this; I have to get Squirtle on the offense…. but how?!'** Angelina scratched her head. Each swing Bellsprout made got closer and closer to his target.

"Bellsprout, Vine Whip!"

'**Now's my chance!'** Angelina watched as two green vines grew from under Bellsprout's leaves; she let them wrap and bind Squirtle before shouting, "Rapid Spin, now!"

"Squirtle-squirt-squirt!" The turtle Pokemon withdrew her arms, legs, tail, and head into her shell and started to spin at a high speed. A light whistling sound soared through the air from it.

Bellsprout tried to keep Squirtle from reeling him in by trying to plant his roots into the carpet. Sadly, the maneuver only wasted his energy, for underneath the carpet was cold hard cement.

"Now," Angelina said when it was drawn close, "Use a point-blank Bubble attack!"

Squirtle stopped spinning and pooped out of her shell, which was wrapped in a cord of vines; she spat out an array of clear bubbles that popped forcefully against Bellsprout's face.

"Belllsprooout!" the grass Pokemon wailed.

"Let go of it quick and get out of there!" Roxanne pleaded, showing a few signs of franticness.

Slowly, Bellsprout let his vines limp weakly, drew them back, then jumped off to the side.

"Good job, Bellsprout. Let's hurry and win this battle by using Absorb."

"Uh-oh!" Angelina took a step back and clenched her fists.

Bellsprout opened his leaves and they started to glow a dim green.

"No time to waste, Squirtle; aim a Water Gun at the ground. Make it strong enough to support your body weight!"

"Squirtle," Squirtle nodded to Angelina. She looked to the ground and fired a powerful blast of water; Squirtle was lifted into the air out of Bellsprout's reach.

"Ah!" Roxanne gasped.

"Heh-heh!" Angelina grinned. "Now, dive down like a bomb!"

Squirtle turned in mid-air and plummeted down in a nose-dive at Bellsprout.

"Leech Seed—"

Squirtle's head made contact with Bellsprout's and there was a long pause.

Jeremy, Drew, and Christina were now raised to their knees in suspense. Angelina and Roxanne stared at their Pokemon with intense, beating hearts. The students of the class had problems keeping their mouths closed and had forgotten all about taking notes. Even the teacher was impressed.

Squirtle's body suddenly became engulfed in thin vines sprouting from a tiny seed on her head.

"Oh-no!" Angelina gasped.

Squirtle dropped to the floor on her belly as the Leech Seed drained her energy in a red light. It drained so fast, that Squirtle became dizzy and unconscious.

"….I guess I lost.…" Angelina looked to the ground. She felt both shocked and embarrassed; she had mouthed off earlier about Roxanne's mistake. Now, she was the one face-down on the floor.

"Great job, Bellsprout….. Bellsprout?" Roxanne blinked when her Pokemon didn't respond.

Instead, Bellsprout staggered before dropping to the floor in a KO just a few seconds after Squirtle.

"Both Bellsprout and Squirtle are unable to battle. This match is a tie." At Mr. Tate's announcement, the entire room went into an uproar of applause.

"That was great!" "Whoohoo! Do it again!" they cheered.

"You put up a good fight. Bellsprout, return and have a nice rest." Roxanne returned weakened Bellsrpout to his pokeball.

Angelina scooped up Squirtle before returning it to her own Pokeball as well. "That was terrific." she said to it.

Both Angelina and Roxanne walked up to each other with broad smiles and shook each other's hands.

"You put up a great fight. It's rare that I ever tie with someone on first try in a match." Roxanne said.

"Yeah," Angelina nodded, "Thanks to you, I think I'm ready to take on the Rustborro City Gym leader."

"Is that why you came here?" Roxanne asked her with an air of curiosity.

"Yep, that's right." Angelina replied.

Roxanne grinned. "Angelina Murakami, _**I**_ accept your challenge!"

"_**What**_**!?"** Drew and Christina gasped.

**§To Be Continued§**

Oww, suspense! I know, you're anxious to know what happens next. Don't worry, I'll be back soon with the next chapter. Thanks for reading and leave a review!


	9. Rustburo Rumble

Hey, I'm back! So here's the next chapter. I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas. Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Rustburo Rumble

Angelina, Drew, Jeremy, Christina, and Zeal followed Roxanne down the sidewalk through the buildings of Rustburo City.

Angelina stared at the back of Roxanne's head with an air of uncertainty. She was still trying to recover from the shock of Roxanne being the Rustborro City gym leader. **'If she was the gym leader all along, that battle we had….'** her mind wandered back to the battle she and Roxanne had at the school. Before now, she thought it was just harmless fun. But now, she couldn't help but think there was something that wasn't quite right about it. **'She may have been hiding her true battle talents.'**

To tell the truth, Angelina was a bit nervous, but Roxanne acted as if surprising trainers was an everyday thing. They came to a stop in front of a large dome-shaped building that took up one side of the street. It stuck out like a sore thumb for its bright colors were red on white.

Without saying a word, Roxanne pushed open the glass doors. The bright lights burst to life and lit up the giant stadium. The floor was actually a rocky circular bridge over a pit of warm sand.

"Wow! I don't think I've ever been in a Pokemon gym like this before." Angelina marveled at the structure of the gym. She had to admit that it was a lot more exotic than Brock's gym.

Roxanne walked over to the far end of the circular bridge and turned to face them. "Are you ready to earn your Stone Badge, Angelina?" She asked.

"Uh…." Angelina made an unsure dry sound of nervousness. **'Say yes, you fool!'** A voice in her head shouted at her. "Uh…. yeah…. I mean, yes—I'm ready to battle!" Angelina clenched her fists and took her side of the rocky bridge field.

"Good luck, Angelina." Jeremy flashed her a thumbs up.

"We'll be watching you from the stadium bleachers." Drew pointed to the right side of the stadium.

Angelina nodded as the four walked over to the bleachers.

'**I sure hope you know what you're up against, Angelina.'** Zeal thought to himself. It wasn't that Angelina wasn't a good trainer, it was just that Roxanne was a **great** trainer.

"Be careful, Angel!" Drew shouted and Angelina glanced back at him, "Gym leaders are not your average trainers. They're much smarter and more powerful!"

To show that she understood, Angelina nodded.

"I must warn you, Angelina, this is more than that little school match we had. I must defend my title as gym leader with everything I can muster." Roxanne said, "Now, I'm going to attack you full force! We'll have a timeless match using two Pokemon."

"Bring it on!" Angelina exclaimed. "I choose, Chocolate!" she said and her Pikachu leapt off her shoulder and onto the rocky stadium ring.

"Then I choose," Roxanne grabbed a pokeball from her pocket and performed a fancy little spin, "Geodude, go!" She let it fly to the ground and it burst open with a bright light.

The Pokemon was a small boulder with rocky arms, eyes, and a mouth. "Geodude!" he punched his stone fists together and hovered into the air slightly.

"Hmmm…." Angelina nodded, she knew the Pokemon too well; she had one herself and trained that into a Golem, and her brother's best friend Brock had one also. "This is going to be tough." the pressure was starting to get the better of Angelina and scrambled her decision making. She knew that electric types had no power over rock types, but that fact didn't quite register. "Chocolate, Thundershock!" she shouted.

Chocolate stood on her hind legs and clenched her fists as her cheeks sparked with electricity. "Pikaaa-chuuuu!" A bolt of lightning coursed from her body and struck Geodude right in the face. However, the rock Pokemon sat calmly and collectively. The electric attack merely fizzled out with no affect. "Piiii…." Chocolate teetered a little dizzily from its attack recoil.

"Oh—I forgot about our type disadvantage." Angelina gasped.

"This isn't good." Drew stated to himself.

Just by looking at her, Roxanne could tell Angelina was nervous. But as a gym leader, she was compelled to fight to her fullest extent. As so, she planned to use her nervousness against her. "Geodude, use your Rock Throw!"

"Geodude!" Geodude lifted his body high into the air and came crashing like a comet towards Pikachu.

"Quick, jump back!" Angelina ordered a bit hastily for Chocolate to jump back just in time to let Geodude crack up the ground. She was still a little dizzy, but managed to stay strong.

"Geo-dude-dude-geo-dude!" Roxanne's rock Pokemon repeatedly tossed his body around the ring with Angelina's little electric mouse barely saving herself.

"This is going to be tough—Geodude is getting way too close to Chocolate." Drew was starting to sweat at the intensity of the battle while Christina was scared.

Even though he was worried as well, Jeremy was sketching scenes of the match in his sketchbook. "The way that Geodude carefully displaces his weight so quickly during a Rock Throw attack shows that he's been trained exceptionally well." he said, "Angel may have a tough time against him."

"It's a sad fact." Zeal growled.

"Pi! Pi-pi!" Chocolate started to sweat as she, once again, narrowly missed another Rock Throw.

'**I've got to think of a way to slow Geodude down quick! I don't know how much more of this Chocolate can take.'** Angelina started panicking while she ran through Chocolate's attack list in her head. Her mind kept drawing a blank no matter how hard she tried, though.

"Piiii!!!" Geodude grazed Chocolate's shoulder and she let out a sharp scream.

"Double Team!" Angelina blurted out without thinking.

"Pika!" Chocolate got on all fours again and projected several images of herself just in time; Geodude crashed through a copy and onto the ground.

"Now, give him a Slam attack!" Angelina felt a boost of confidence flow through her now…. not to say that was a **good** thing at the time.

The real Chocolate emerged from her army of copies and dove towards Geodude; she did a front flip and slammed her lightning bolt tail on the rock Pokemon's head. "Pi—" Chocolate screwed up her face as a rattling pain jumped from her tail throughout her body. Striking Geodude's rock body was like running into a brick wall. "Pikachu, Pikachu," she started to cry and fell to the ground. She massaged her tender red-marked tail to try and soothe the pain.

"Geodude, now's the time to finish this battle with your Tackle attack!" Roxanne made her order forcefully, but calmly.

"Geodude—Geodude!"

**_BANG!_** Geodude thrust his body into Chocolate and forced her to bullet backwards; Angelina caught her instinctively with a loud smack.

"….Chocolate….are you okay?" Angelina asked as she cradled the Pikachu in her arms.

"Pi-chu," Chocolate said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry for this. Now you can take a nice rest." Angelina walked over to the edge of the ring (out of battle reach), took off her backpack, and let Chocolate rest on it.

"**I was hesitant in my actions…. my head wasn't clear and Chocolate took the pain of my mistake….' BUFF**! Suddenly, Angelina was forced onto her knees by a strong, yet invisible blow to her stomach. "Argghh!" she growled and got back to her feet, more taken aback by the shock rather the pain. Her Crystal Bell was ringing lightly— had she just felt Chocolate's pain?

"Hey, are you okay over there?" Roxanne shouted.

"Yeah; I'm fine. Don't sweat it at all." Angelina stepped back onto the bridge ring with her fists clenched. "You took me by surprise earlier, but I won't be so hesitant this time, that I won't. Spritz, I choose you!" she threw out a Pokeball as it released her Azumarill.

"Azuuu!" Spritz squeaked and jumped onto the ring. (**_I will bravely fight for my trainer)_**

"—!" Angelina's voice caught in her throat; Spritz was talking to her just like before. "….really?" she whispered. "You **understand** me again? And I mean that in a literal notion."

Spritz looked back at him in uncertainty. For a while, the two just stared at each other as if delving for answers in each other's eyes.

"…." Angelina smiled and, when she clenched her fists, her Crystal Bell blinked a blue color. "Right, we'll do this together." 

"Geodude, use your Rock Throw!" Roxanne didn't wait to start up the battle again as Geodude launched a full out assault on Spritz.

"Spritz, evade and use Water Gun." Angelina managed to think clearly for a second.

**_(Right!)_** Spritz jumped back just in time to dodge Geodude's heavy stone body. She made a gurgling sound as her stream of water struck the rock Pokemon so hard that it flew through the air.

"Good call, Angel—Rock Pokemon are extremely vulnerable to water." Jeremy said.

"Duuuude!" Geodude made a crash-landing onto the ground. Its eyes swirled dizzily, indicating that it was too tied to continue.

"Yeah! That was great, Spritz!" Angelina whooped and Spritz smiled.

"Geodude, you did a good job. Return, please," Roxanne said sympathetically, returning Geodude to his pokeball. She gazed at it for a second before putting it back and drawing a new one. "See if you can get past this one, Angel," Roxanne made a fancy spin before throwing the pokeball. "Nosepass, I choose you!" It popped open to reveal a stone Pokemon. Its body looked like a blue statue face with flat arms, feet, and a big red nose. For some strange reason, it was facing towards the side of the ring.

"What is that?" Angelina pulled out her Pokedex.

"Nosepass, the Compass Poke'mon. Nosepass were always believed to stay perfectly still with their noses pointing in the northern direction. However, scientists have proven that every year, this Poke'mon moves three-eighths of an inch each year."

"Why would she pick a Pokemon that can't move?" Angelina blinked.

**_(Don't worry, Angelina; I can take this one too)_** Spritz arched her back slightly.

"Okay, let's do this." Angelina said, "Use your Water Gun!"

Spritz sprayed a burst of water towards her opponent.

'**Heh, if it can't move, this battle will be all too easy.'** Angelina thought to herself, grinning.

"Nosepass, wipe that silly grin off her face by using your Rollout attack!" Roxanne said as if Spritz was no threat.

"Nosepass!" Suddenly, Nosepass jumped up and turned to face Spritz.

"What!?" Angelina gasped, "It acted as if it were as light as a feather!"

Nosepass started to spin very rapidly and rolled across the ring; the Water Gun merely splattered off its body, not slowing down a bit.

**_(Ah!)_** A drop of sweat rolled off Spritz as she took a step back.

Nosepass cut through the air even faster with the more distance it gained.

**_(AAhhh!)_** Azumarill leapt to the side, narrowly missing the attack.

Nosepass whirled around the ring and took the offence again.

Over and over, Spritz was forced to jump a narrow escape from the steadily growing Rollout attack.

"Oh-no!" Angelina's mind started to race again. She could see Spritz losing energy and Nosepass rapidly gaining even more.

'**What do I do now? I'm all out of ideas! If Water Gun won't work, what can we do?'** Angelina was starting to lose hope. There was absolutely no way he could win this battle. Any kind of resistance would just be delaying the inevitable. **'It's…. it's over; we—'**

**_(Don't you dare lose faith in me, Angelina Murakami!)_** Spritz shouted, her shoulder grazed from Nosepass, **_(Believe in me and lend me your strength like you normally do) _**

'**I need to focus…. that's it!'** Angelina put her fist to her palm, "Spritz, I understand now. I wasn't focusing at all in this much! I lost my inner focus." Instead of letting intimidation fog her thoughts, Angelina closed her eyes to clear her mind. The only thing that became her objects of focus were the ring and the Pokemon in it. She no longer cared about the battle's outcome; she was just going to give it everything she had.

Bump-bump…. Bump-bump….

'**_What's this?'_** Angelina could hear a faint bumping sound, **_'Is this…. A heartbeat? Is it mine? ….no, it's someone else's…. someone close…. It's Spritz!'_**

"Right!"

**_(Yeah)_** Azumarill jumped back deftly from the fast-rolling Nosepass.

"Spritz, I have an idea. I want you to dive down into that sand pit." Angelina said and Azumarill leapt off the ring into the sand below.

"There's nothing you can do, Angelina. Nosepass, follow her." Roxanne ordered. Nosepass rolled off the edge and spun into the sand.

"Right into our trap!" Angelina grinned, "Spritz, use Water Gun to turn the sand into mud!"

"Azuuuuuu!" Azumarill blasted all around the sand pit while running away from Nosepass's Rollout attack.

The sand became soft, sloshy mud and unfit to maneuver in. Nosepass made a loud whirling sound as the mud forced it to stay in place—now it couldn't move even if it wanted to!

"Yes!" Drew shouted as Jeremy, Christina, and Zeal cheered for Angelina.

"Oh-no, My Nosepass!" Roxanne's cool demeanor crashed to the ground. The shock of her now motionless Nosepass took her by surprise.

"That was smart; Angelina finally focused and knew that the only reason Nosepass was moving so fast was because of the effects of the Rollout attack." Jeremy explained, "But even though it gets stronger as it goes, there's a drawback to this attack—without traction, no sudden stops or turns can be made. Angelina used the mud to keep Nosepass's heavy body from gaining more distance, thus weakening the attack's power and rendering Nosepass immobile."

"All because it kept its focus…. that's what **I** have to do, too." Zeal said with a sudden look of enlightenment, "I lost my focus on my school work, so my grades started to slip. Thanks a bunch, Angelina Murakami." He smiled.

"Okay, Spritz, wrap this battle up with Mud Slap!" Angelina shouted.

Azumarill, who was now covered with mud, swiped the ground with her paw repeatedly. Harsh and powerful spurts of wet mud belted Nosepass's body repeatedly.

"Nose-nosepass!"

"Oh-no, Nosepass!" Roxanne shrieked.

The powerful mud sent Nosepass flying with a crash landing into the circular wall of the pit. "Nosssssepass…." Its eyes spiraled dizzily.

For a little bit, no one said a word, allowing silence to reign.

Jeremy stood up and started to clap, which was soon followed by an uproar of cheers.

"We did it, Spritz!" Angelina exclaimed over the voices.

"Pikachu," Chocolate leapt on Angelina's shoulder. She was feeling a little better, but was still slightly injured.

"You were excellent too, Chocolate." Angelina stroked Chocolate's head, then looked down to Spritz.

"Azuuu!!" Spritz smiled up at Angelina.

Jeremy, Christina, Drew, and Zeal ran down the bleachers towards the ring. "Good job, Angelina!" "Yeah, you really did it!" They cheered for her. But when they got up to Angelina, she shouted, "You were great, Spritz!"

"Huh?" the four friends and gym leader looked at her in little surprise; Angelina unexpectantly leapt from the ring and sloshed into the mud with Chocolate still on her shoulder.

"Azumarill!" Spritz gave a gleeful smile as she raced to her trainer. She kicked up mud wildly behind her trail; Azumarill leapt up to embrace Angelina in a muddy hug. "Azu-Azumarill!"

"Thanks, both of you." Angelina giggled and embraced her Poke-partners.

They laughed as they splashed in the mud. They may have been dirty, but the victory made them not even care.

"Good job, Nosepass. Return," Roxanne sighed and returned Nosepass. "Well, I guess you win, Angelina." She called down into the sand pit. "Congratulations, you've earned your Stone Badge."

"Great, but I think I should get it after I clean up a bit." Angelina shouted back.

"Angelina certainly is something." Drew said.

"Yeah, no matter how hard the battle may seem, she always pulls through." Jeremy added.

Inside the Pokemon Center, Angelina walked into the lobby with herself squeaky clean. Jeremy couldn't help but notice that the lobby to this center looked exactly like the one in Zakuden Town. He, Christina, Drew, Zeal, and Roxanne stood beside the benches.

"Thanks for waiting on me." Angelina smiled to them.

"Pikachu!" Chocolate dittoed.

"I'd have to say, Angelina, you really turned that battle around. As confirmation to the Hoenn League of your victory, I award you the Stone Badge." Roxanne reached into her pocket and pulled out a shiny badge. It looked like a gray boulder with two gold arrows on either side.

"Thank you!" Angelina took the badge from her and marveled at it. "This victory belongs to all of us." She looked to her Pokemon on her shoulders and smiled; she placed her first badge inside of her badge case.

"Hey Angel, I want to thank you." Zeal stated. There was a spark of determination lit in his eyes. "Thanks to you, I learned what I was lacking. Now I have the will to focus and I'll challenge you to a re-match someday."

"I look forward to it, Zeal." Angelina and Zeal shook each other's hands, grinning.

Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, Christina and Chocolate waved to Roxanne and Zeal as they walked away from the Pokemon Center. Dark clouds had rolled into the sky and threatened to rain on them again.

"Angel, you didn't forget about the Devon documents we have to deliver, did you?" Jeremy asked.

Angelina sweated anime style. "Dah?"

"Don't tell me you forgot?!" Christina said.

"Erm… no, it just slipped my mind." Angelina stated.

"It won't take us long to get to Devon Co.; just over that one hill." Drew pointed out.

"Then let's go!" Angelina broke into a sprint down the street towards the hill with the buildings stacked on it. "Off to Devon Company!"

"Hey, wait!" Drew, Jeremy, and Christina followed; raindrops falling onto their heads.

Wonderful things happed when friends learn to trust one another; a lesson that lead Angelina to her first Hoenn gym badge. What new adventures await the young master just beyond the hills? Find out next time!

**§To Be Continued§**

Yay! Angelina won her first Hoenn Badge! Okay, thanks for reading! I'll have the next chapter up very soon! Until next time my viewers! Peace!


	10. Bell Tone Rivalry

Thanks for the reviews, guys! Here's my tenth-chapter update! You know my disclaimer, enjoy!

**Chapter 10: Bell Tone Rivalry**

The fresh smell of hot food drifted on the small hill that separated a small piece of Rustburo City. The hill was a nice little park area for people to chat, eat, and relax. Drew, Jeremy, and Christina were sitting on the soft, cool grass with their plates in their laps and their mouths drooling a bit. All of their Pokemon were sitting on the grass with hungry expressions as well. Angelina sat in front of a large pan being heated by Jeremy's very minute portable heater. Resting on a plate beside the heater was a pile of simmering dumplings.

"Okay, I think the pot stickers are ready." Angelina said, probing the dumplings with a pair of chopsticks.

"Hurry, hurry; we wanna' eat!" Christina rushed her.

"Yeah, it smells real good." Drew said, "Of course, right now, I'll even settle for Jeremy's cardboard cooking."

Jeremy started to sweat anime style; it's real bad if **he** wouldn't even eat his own food. "C'mon, can't we eat in peace for once?"

Angelina took the plate around to Jeremy, Drew, and Christina; and tipped some pot stickers onto their plates. Then she moved over to the Pokemon and started tipping some in their food bowls. The last five that were left, she kept for herself. It didn't bother her much to eat the least—she could always make more.

Angelina sat between Spritz and Chocolate and ate in silence. For some strange reason, a strange question started popping up in her head. Why did she become a Pokemon Master, anyway? To study and understand Pokemon, yes, but she couldn't help but feel there was some other reason not even she was aware of. **"Maybe that question wasn't strange after all.…!?"** Angelina frowned down at her plate; surely she hadn't eaten all five of her dumplings in just one bite.

"Shroomish!"

"Huh?" Angelina wheeled around to see a Shroomish making off with her lunch in a mad hurry. "You little thief! Gimme' my food back before I decide to take another dish: Cream of **Mushroom** soup!" she shouted and started chasing after Shroomish, still clutching her black chopsticks.

Jeremy, Drew, Christina, and the Pokemon could've followed—they had seen Angelina run off—but were too busy eating.

"Are you going to go after her?" "She's **your** best friend." Jeremy and Drew said to each other between bites. They glanced at each other, yet still didn't make a move. Angelina would be fine. She never really got into any serious danger anyway…. right?

Angelina cornered the thieving Shroomish by a tree and the two gave each other sharp looks. She gave her chopsticks a click and the Pokemon jumped a little. There was only one dumpling hanging out of its mouth, but as long as there was still one, Angelina would take back what was hers. It wasn't even about the quantity now—it was the principal of the matter. This Pokemon was not about to make off with her food.

"….I got you!"

"Shrooomish—mish!"

Angelina's chopsticks slammed around the dumpling firmly as she and Shroomish went into a tug-of-war.

"Give it back!"

"Shroo!"

"I-said-GIVE IT!!"

"Shroomish-shroomish!"

"Relinquish my food, you little—huh?" Angelina jumped back a bit as a yellow dust erupted from Shroomish's pistil. She backed away as quickly as she could; not even food was worth inhaling just a small amount of stun spore.

Shroomish gave a triumphant grin. In an instant, it gobbled up the last dumpling greedily.

"Awww…." Angelina frowned.

"Bleh!" The wild Shroomish stuck out its tongue before hopping away through the trees.

Angelina gave a mean look into the distance with her stomach growling hungrily. Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind blew all around her body. Almost immediately, Angelina took a shocked step back. An intense vibration beat against her chest soundlessly. Angelina looked around; there wasn't a soul around. No people—no Pokemon—just a bunch of trees, whispering with the wind. Angelina felt a sharp sense of foreboding and yet curiosity kept her rooted in her spot. The Crystal Bell swayed to and fro, glimmering its light blue color. Angelina held it up to her face and it vibrated even more; she knew she wasn't the only one whom had a bell, Syorin had one just like hers. **_'The Clear Bell,' Jeremy explained a while ago. 'It's the Crystal Bell's other, a rival…. ' _**That was it? Well, Angelina wasn't worried about it at all. She was chosen to be an Origin Waker; to use her powers to save the Pokemon World from the evil that threatens it or, in other words, to right evil humans and Pokemon alike and teach them to live together. If she thought she had no sense of destiny, she wouldn't have been given the Crystal Bell. It was actually a gift from her mother along with the Poke-sphere (a very old book with yellow pages and a strong leather binding), passed down from generations within the Crystal family.

"Angel—Angel, are you okay?"

"Let me try, Drew. Spritz, use your Water Gun attack!"

"Azuuuu!" There was a gurgling sound and a rain of water splashed all over Angelina's face. She coughed a little bit before her eyes focused on her surroundings.

It was raining lightly, so drops of water were still beating Angelina's face. When she became fully awake and aware; she noticed that her Pokemon, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina were hovering over her. It was now that she realized she was lying on the soft grass. But just a few seconds ago, had she not been standing? It couldn't have been a dream because the Crystal Bell was still shivering against her body.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jeremy asked her.

"I'm fine; just fine." Angelina answered him, sitting up and rubbing her head.

"Nice place to sleep." Drew cracked.

"Piii-kachu!" Chocolate jumped onto her trainer's shoulder. She was so happy Angelina was okay. Precious (Skitty), Crimson (Vulpix), and Spritz (Azumarill) wagged their tails as well, smiling at Angelina.

"Hey, guys; sorry to make you worry about me." Angelina reached over and massaged each of them behind the ears. The Pokemon vibrated appreciatively. Christina smiled in relief while Jeremy and Drew folded their arms and frowned.

"Yeah, **we** were only worried about you a lotta' bit, too." Drew stated.

Angelina smiled to them too. "Thanks to you three too. Now, how 'bout we head to the Devon Company building before it really starts raining?" she got to her feet and dusted herself off. However, her friends and sister still looked at her with concerned expressions.

"Oh, come off it. I said I was fine; isn't that enough?" Angelina assured them.

There was a loud clap of thunder and the rain sped up its collision course to the ground.

"We should get going now. Back into your Pokeballs for now; Precious, Crimson, and Spritz." Angelina recalled her Pokemon to keep them from getting to wet in the rain. The rain started to soak her clothes now. "C'mon, let's go!" she picked up her backpack and started running across the wet grass with her companions right behind her.

The rain decided to pour harder as they darted across the cobblestone streets into the city. The Devon Company building was just a few blocks away from the cluster of stores in the shopping districts. The sidewalks and streets were a sea of different colored umbrellas; for some strange reason, people preferred to walk or ride a bike rather than drive as there were no cars.

Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew moved up onto the sidewalk. They covered their heads from the rain with their backpacks. They stopped in front of the large Devon Company building and gazed up at the large dark oak doors; Angelina pushed the big doors open and dashed inside in eagerness to get out of the rain.

The lobby floor was designed with a blanket of red carpeting and the pillars were designed with different kinds of Pokemon. A few people in lab coats shuffled across the floor, rummaging through papers on clipboards. A long wooden counter stretched from one wall to the other in the back, blocking off a staircase.

Angelina rung the water out of her hair and tried to feverishly dry it with her wet backpack.

Chocolate shook wet droplets off her body onto Jeremy and Drew. "Hey!" They brushed the water from their hair back at the electric Pokemon, which made Christina giggle.

"Angel, do you think it's okay for us to just walk in here?" Drew asked.

"No, but it's a lot better than being out in the rain." Angelina patted the rest of the rain from her hair.

"Excuse me, may I help you?" A man in a white lab coat stepped up to them. He had long brown hair, blue eyes, and tiny spectacles that were barely gripping the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, we're just here to drop off something. Maybe you can help us?" Angelina reached into her backpack and rummaged through the contents until she withdrew the compact case Ms. Itzono gave her.

But instead of the pleased expression the four expected, the man's eyes went from a busy worked look to a narrow expression. "This.… this is the special box disguised as a compact mirror. Those are the documents to Delta?"

"Delta?" Angelina blinked.

"Erm.… I think so." Jeremy answered the man, scratching his hair.

The lab coat nodded, "Right then…. SECURITY!" In a flash, two buff police officers arrived at his voice and grasped the four kids about the arms.

"Hey! What'd you do that for, old man?!" Jeremy shouted. "Yeah—" "What's the big idea?" Christina, Angelina, and Drew growled.

"Devon referred to a special woman to deliver these and we've been getting reports that a mysterious force has been following her all the way from Evergrande City." The man snatched up the compact and brandished it in their faces, "Admit it; you four are the ones who attacked Ms. Itzono and took these documents! So which are you: Team Magma? Team Aqua?"

"IF WE WERE THE ONE'S, WHY WOULD WE BRING THEM** HERE**!?" Jeremy shouted.

"You're the criminal—**you** figure it out!"

"What a dumba—" "JEREMY!" Angelina stopped him.

"Oooo! When I get loose—" "**If** you get loose—" "Shut it!" Jeremy and the man went back and forth, trying to out-shout one another.

By now, all the workers had stopped what they were doing and stared in surprise. Angelina, Drew, and Christina looked at the floor out of sheer embarrassment.

"What's going on down here?" Everyone averted their attention to the stairway behind the counter to see a tall old man walking down. Unlike the others, he was dressed in a normal outfit; a red shirt and khaki pants. His entire skin color looked like he had tanned for too long in the sun and his hair was long and white.

"Hey, it's my grandpa!" Drew pointed out.

"Your** what?**" the man who was arguing with Jeremy blinked.

"Hmmmm…." the old guy seemed to be examining the situation a bit. Then, when he reached Drew, his face beamed. "Ah, I say, unhand my grandson, you two."

"You know this boy, Dr. Takashi?" the lab coat guy asked.

"Only since little Natalie had him. Now drop him!"

Without much hesitation, the guards literally dropped Angelina, Drew, Jeremy, and Christina onto the ground harshly.

"Geez!" Jeremy growled as they rubbed their bottoms.

"Drew, long time, no see!" Dr. Takashi smiled.

"Very long, Grandpa!" Drew said.

"So, what brings you to the Devon Company building? You and your friends finally decided to pay a visit to this old man?"

"That's one reason." Drew stated eagerly, "The other reason is in that man's hand." He pointed out.

Dr. Takashi walked up to the lab-coated guy and smiled. "What's that?" He pointed to the compact. The man put it in the old guy's hand.

"It's the documents to Delta, Dr. Takashi."

"**Delta?"** Without warning, Dr. Takashi's expression went serious. It was something about that name that made everyone just.… well, **stop**.

"Uh…. Gramps…. what's wrong? What's Delta?" Drew asked out of concern.

"Huh?" And just like that, Dr. Takashi snapped back to reality. He turned to his grandson and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about it, Drew. Thanks for delivering it." He put the parcel in his pocket and started back towards the counter. "C'mon, Drew—oh, and who are your three friends by the way?" He stopped at the counter door and glanced back.

"My name is Angelina Murakami, and this is my little sister Christina."

"And I'm Jeremy Cretonne."

"Nice to meet you girls. So Jeremy, you must be the older brother that Drew always talked about."

"Oh really? Just what did he say?" Jeremy asked, annoyedly suspicious.

"I'll tell you along the way to my lab." Dr. Takachi started up the steps with Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina following. "So what did you go through to get this?" he examined the compact as they all walked down a rather long and white hallway.

The four kids had explained to him what they had done to get the Devon documents to the company building. For once, Chocolate chose to walk by herself, but stuck close to Angelina as she gazed at the many doors on the wall.

"And you all stood up against Team Aqua and even Team Magma? You're just like your fathers." Takashi continued. He glanced down at Chocolate just a bit to examine her. Just by looking, he could tell Angelina took great pride and care in her. "You've done an exceptional job raising your Pikachu." He complimented. "Thanks; she's like a sister to me." Angelina smiled at Chocolate, who smiled back.

"What exactly do you do, Dr. Takashi?" Christina asked him.

"Well, I'm the head of the engineering department; I design and sometimes even build the prototype products that come from Devon Company. It's interesting because all I have to do is put my imagination on paper and watch it **_'come to life'_** so to speak."

"That **is** interesting." Jeremy said.

Dr. Takashi stopped in front of a door on the left. The glass window had a gold heading that read "Pokemon Research and Development". And what lab or company would be complete without one those bad boys, right?

"Could you wait here, Drew?" Dr. Takashi asked.

"What for?" Drew blinked.

"When I heard you were starting your very own Pokemon journey, I took the liberty of getting a couple of gifts for you. Now, just wait for a moment, will ya'?" Dr. Takashi pushed open the door and went inside.

"Pikachu!" Chocolate clambered up Angelina's body and came to rest on her shoulder.

Drew leaned up against the wall with his arms folded while Jeremy talked to Christina quietly.

Angelina took a peek through the window and inside the room. It actually looked dark and empty with little blue lights strung along the floor and walls. The only items that appeared to be inside were some strange, tall glass capsule chambers. Dr. Takashi was at the one in the middle. It looked like he was getting something from out of it. When he turned, Angelina ducked back down with her friends as if she hadn't moved an inch.

"Sorry that took so long." Takashi came out through the door holding two items in his hands. One was a familiar device that Angelina knew well; it was purple in color with a souped-up stopwatch with a phone speaker at the bottom. The other was a Pokeball.

"Here, Drew, I got these especially to help you on your quest. I'm pretty sure you know what this is." Dr. Takashi handed Drew the device.

"A Poke-Gear, huh?" Drew grinned. "Thanks."

"We've got our own Poke-Gears," Angelina took out her blue device while Jeremy showed off his red one.

"That leaves my special gift left over." Dr. Takashi pulled out a small yellow device from his pocket at the **_"left out"_** look on Christina's face, it was similar-looking to the Poke-Gear. "This is for you, Christina. The newest model of the Poke-Gear, it's called a Poke-Nav. Its similar yet different; like the old Poke-Gear, but shows you the map, has a built in video phone, radio, and gives the time and month."

The little brunette beamed at the old man and took up her gift gratefully. "Oh wow, thank you!"

"And this is also for you, Drew." Dr. Takashi dropped the Pokeball to the ground and it burst open in a flash of light. The Pokemon it was small with a cute, light-green body. She had a large leaf growing from her head and red eyes. The quadruped Pokemon had a short tail, a sweet-smelling necklace of green buds around her neck, and a dark mark just above her thigh in the shape of a heart. "Chikori?" she rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Wow, a Chikorita!" Christina awed while Angelina took out her Pokedex.

"**_Chikorita, the Leaf Pokemon. This Pokemon's favorite pastime is bathing in the sun. Chikorita lets out a sweet smelling scent from the buds around its neck that is said to sooth souls."_**

"I've always wanted one, but I never got the chance while traveling Johto," Angelina sighed enviously.

"Hmph! My Roselia is better than that," Drew informed. "She's yours if you really want it."

"Oh thank you!" Angelina exclaimed happily.

"Chi?" Chikorita gave a glance at Angelina and seemed to be a little interested.

Angelina smiled and waved. "Hello there, Basil."

"Chika!!" Without warning, Chikorita got on all fours and lunged forward. "Chika!!" **_BANG!!!_** Chikorita rammed her body heavily into Angelina's stomach. She could feel the wind go rushing from her breath as she fell backwards.

"Pikachu!" Chocolate leapt off Angelina's shoulder just as she hit the ground.

"Chiki-chika!" Chikorita stood triumphantly on top of her new trainer's stomach, grinning. Then, she reached over and gripped her arm with her teeth. Angelina let out a wince from the pain. Jeremy, Drew, Christina, and Dr. Takashi were taken aback by the Pokemon's aggressiveness. And yet, Chikorita still seemed to smile so sweetly while she did it.

"Ughn.…" Angelina moaned as she sat up, pushing the grass Pokemon off. Her stomach and arm throbbed from the attacks. "That was pretty mean; why'd you do that to me, Basil?"

"Chika?" At this, Chikorita's smile flashed into a frown. Her eyes flickered with a mixture of sadness and anger. Slowly, she backed away from the girl, but kept a cautious eye on her. Angelina could feel a sense of danger from her and backed away a little as well. "….Chika!" Chikorita turned around and raised her tail to her in an insult.

"Pikachuu!" From out of nowhere, Chocolate tackled Chikorita to the side quite angrily. Anyone who insulted Angelina insulted her as well. After all, she did say she was like a sister to her; would a sister let someone get away with insulting their sister in such a crude manner? "Pikachu, Pikachu—pika! Pikachu-chu-Pikachu!" She shouted.

"What did she say?" Drew turned to Jeremy, who shrugged.

"Repeating it isn't a good idea." Angelina got to her feet.

"Maybe you should return her to her Pokeball." Dr. Takashi handed her Chikorita's Pokeball.

"Uhm.… okay," Angelina took it up and turned it towards the feisty grass Pokemon. "Basil, could you return to your Pokeball please?" At her command, a thin red beam of light shot from the button in the middle.

"Chika!" Chikorita frowned and jumped to the side; the beam fizzled out as soon as it touched the floor.

"This isn't funny, Basil. Return!" Angelina said more forcefully and another light beam shot out. Just like before, Chikorita dodged and growled at her.

"Feisty, isn't she?" Dr. Takashi said.

Angelina and Chikorita stared at each other, fighting with their eyes instead of fists. **'You want something—I can see it in your eyes.'**

Angelina fought to restrain her new Chikorita in her arms while she struggled and smacked her wildly with the leaf on her head. Her cheeks were red now, but her grip didn't hasten. She and her friends had left the Devon company building and were back into the streets of Rustburo City.

The rain had come to a halt and the black clouds slowly drifted through the sky. Jeremy, Drew, and Christina walked a small distance behind Angelina and Chikorita; all of the fighting and shouting was causing people to stare at them.

"C'mon, Basil; I'm not hurting you!"

"Chikori!"

"Basil, stop!"

"Chika-chika!"

"Stop; you're not making us look any better."

"Chi-ka!" Chikorita pouted and came to a resentful rest in Angelina's arms. Chocolate's eyes never left her as she disapproved of the grass Pokemon's behavior.

"Huh," Angelina let out a sigh. "What am I going to do with you? I hope I didn't hurt you." she was actually starting to doubt her abilities as a Master. Maybe Chikorita simply thought she was unworthy to be her trainer. Angelina glanced down at Chikorita. She was just sitting there as if she had been docile the whole entire time. However, she still had that look of spite in her eyes as if she had been insulted.

"**What!? How could she be so violent one minute and quiet the next?"** Angelina blinked. This was really one tough Pokemon to figure out. But as a trainer, it was her job to overcome any hardship that came her way. And as a friend, it was her job to make a new friend feel welcome.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you." Angelina said meekly, but Chikorita didn't say a word.

Angelina looked up and started searching for something to talk about. When her eyes fell on a store called **_"The Pokemon Clip"_**, she gave a grin.

"I have an idea. Hey Drew, Jeremy, Christina; I'll be in this store for a couple of seconds. I'll be right back." Angelina said to her sister and friend, who nodded, and went inside.

The store was an accessory shop for Pokemon; there were ribbons and wigs, burettes and scarves, and just about anything else you could pin on a Pokemon.

"Precious, come on out." Angelina pulled out a Pokeball and released her Skitty.

"Naaa!" Skitty meowed sweetly. **_(Hello)_**

"Okay, let's go find something that suits you three." Angelina said and her Pokemon **_(except Chikorita)_** smiled.

Angelina walked over to a table with tons of different color ribbons. A ribbon could help her Pokemon become more motivated and also bring out their natural beauty.

"Here," Angelina picked up a green ribbon and tied it in small bow around Skitty's tail. "I think this one suits you perfectly. Think so?"

"Naaa, naaa!" Skitty smiled, waggling her tail wildly.

Then, Angelina picked out a blue, shoe-lace ribbon and tied it about Chocolate's neck.

"Pikachu! Pika!" Chocolate beamed happily.

"I think it looks great, too." Angelina smiled back, "And now, for you, Basil. Why don't you pick out one for yourself?"

"Chika?" Chikorita looked up at Angelina with a **_"really?"_** expression.

"Go on," Angelina carried her around the table to let her see the different ribbons.

Chikorita, who was still acting docile, allowed her eyes to dart around the table wildly. It didn't take long before they fell on a yellow ribbon that had a sun-shaped pin in the middle. It reminded her of sun-bathing.

"Chika," Chikorita's head leaf pointed to it.

"Let's see how it looks on you." Angelina sat Chikorita beside Chocolate on the table and worked the ribbon around the base of her head leaf. "You look great—all of you." she complimented to her Pokemon. Even Chikorita couldn't keep a slight smile from escaping.

"That didn't take long." Jeremy said when Angelina and her Pokemon came out of the accessory store. He, Drew, and Christina went to go get a corn dog while they waited. Drew finished the rest of his corn dog and crumpled up the foil paper.

"And your Pokemon look great in those new ribbons, too."

"Gee thanks; I like them, too." Angelina told Jeremy.

"If you're done shopping, can we move on now? We've been here too long." Drew said, a little anxious to get back on the road.

Angelina nodded and the four walked down the sidewalk. Chocolate jumped onto Jeremy's shoulder while Chikorita took Angelina's shoulder; she held Skitty in her arms.

Angelina, Drew, Jeremy, Christina, and the Pokemon frowned as they tried to find a quicker way out of Rustburo City. They had stopped in Rustburo Plaza and were using their Poke-Gears for map directions.

"I'm sorry to say, Angel, but the next gym is in Dewford Town." Jeremy examined the map on her Poke-Gear screen. Angelina sat in between him and Drew on a bench on the sidewalk, stroking her Skitty's head while Christina played with Chocolate.

"Naaa, naaa!" the Skitty smiled.

"So what's the problem?" Angelina asked.

"Angel, it's an island!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"Don't' worry about it; I heard that there's a ferry port not far from here in Twilight Town." Drew got to his feet, "If we go now, we could reach it by nightfall."

"I suppose we could do that." Angelina replied as she got to her feet. "So then we can travel to Dewford in the morning."

"Sounds good," Jeremy said; he and Christina standing up as well.

"So, I've finally found you, Angelina Murakami."

The four glanced off to the side and frowned. Standing with his hands in his jacket pockets, Syorin Hibiki glared at them. His previous statement was the most they had ever heard come from him.

"Syorin! I thought I'd be seeing you again." Angelina said, she and her Pokemon glaring back.

Even though they didn't say anything, there was a clear tension between them. The constant tug or trainer rivalry caused them to fight with their eyes.

"So, Syorin, what do you want?" Angelina growled.

Syorin closed his eyes arrogantly, but talked calmly. "I want to take your title away from you." He said.

"My **what**?"

"Your title," Syorin repeated.

Angelina let her Skitty to the ground and clenched her fists. "The only title I have is—you're going after that?" she gave a look of disbelief and Syorin nodded. "But why?"

"Because, you don't deserve it. When I was younger, my family made me work and train for this." Syorin held up the Clear Bell, "I wasn't awarded the gift of play, but rather the fruits of hard work. You'll see that being what you are isn't a game—some story book where the hero comes out on top regardless the situation."

"Be it fluke or fate; the point is that I am very qualified being Pokemon Master and to hold this bell. I know my responsibilities." Angelina told him sternly.

Syorin ran his hand through his hair arrogantly. "I will be the one to judge that. Angelina Murakami, I challenge you to a two-on-two battle right here and now." He pulled two Pokeballs from his belt.

"Fine, I'd accept, but…."

"But what?" Syorin raised an eyebrow.

"But I've never done a two-on-two before."

**_CRASH!!_** Jeremy, Drew, and Syorin fell to the ground; sweating anime style.

"Why do you get all hyped up for battle if you don't even know how?!" Drew spat. "If you're Pokemon Master, you should know already!"

"It's simple, really," Jeremy explained, "A two on two battle is a battle between four Pokemon, two on each side. This tests how quick-witted a trainer is and shows how the Pokemon handle teamwork."

"Fine, then I'll choose Precious and Basil."

Skitty leapt out in front of Angelina and Chikorita jumped off her shoulder.

"Bulbasaur, Squirtle, I choose you!" Syorin tossed the two Pokeballs in the street and they erupted with a bright light, revealing a Bulbasaur and a Squirtle.

"Chi?" Chikorita glanced over to Syorin's Bulbasaur. Suddenly, her heart started thudding against her chest. Bulbasaur took that first glance too and felt his body do the same. The two grass Pokemon slowly approached each other, smiling.

"Basil, I didn't say attack yet."

"Bulbasaur, you stay put!"

But their trainers' might as well have talked to a brick wall for all the Pokemon cared. Chikorita and Bulbasuar nudged heads before brushing against each other.

"Hey! You're supposed to fight it, not love it!" Angelina put up a fit and started stamping the ground with her feet. "I'm your trainer, Basil; you're supposed to at least take what I say into consideration. Will it kill you to even **pretend **to listen?"

"It's no use." Syorin said simply. "They won't fight each other or, by the looks of it, battle at all. Looks like this is a one on one battle."

By now, many people who had been walking were now focused on Angelina's and Syorin's Pokemon. An entire crowd had formed around them, ready to observe the battle.

"Hmph," Drew glanced at all the people.

"Will you look at this crowd?" Drew and Christina gazed at the people.

"I just hope Angel doesn't let all this attention distract her." Jeremy folded his arms.

Now with Chocolate perched on her shoulder, Angelina clenched her fists and went serious. She wasn't about to be upstaged by someone who didn't think she was even worried of saying the name of Pokemon Master. She would defeat Syorin with everything she was.

"Precious, strike with Fury Swipes!"

"Naaa!" Precious charged first.

Syorin simply closed his eyes and hummed lightly. His Clear Bell started to glow white and float a little bit. "Withdraw, now," He whispered.

Squirtle quickly drew in its arms, legs, and head into it's shell and plopped to the ground.

Skitty withdrew her pearly white claws and repeatedly started to slash and scratch at the rock-hard shell. "Naaa—naaa! Naaa—naaa! Naaa—naaa! Naaa—naaa!" She growled angrily.

"Draw back; while it's in its shell, we can't hurt it." Angelina ordered and Skitty jumped back.

"Water Gun," Syorin's voice barely rose above the ringing of his bell.

Squirtle's body emerged and it sprayed a jet of water towards its opponent.

"Naaa!" Skitty sweated a little as she jumped to avoid getting hit; the water gun ricocheted off the street and into the air.

"Hu!" Angelina moved to the side, the water grazing her hair. "Precious, now that it's out, use your Tackle Attack!" her Skitty raced again to Squirtle. There was a loud clack as the tiny-turtle Pokemon soared into the air.

"What?" Angelina growled, but Syorin grinned. True, Precious had stricken Squirtle, but the turtle had withdrawn in its shell once more. "Fine, if that's how you wanna' play, Syorin. Precious, use Swift Attack!" she shouted.

Precious waited until Squirtle was right above her before firing an array of sharp orange stars from her mouth. "Naaaaaa!"

"Squirtle-Squirtle!" The stars shot into its shell and forced it to emerge again, pelting it in the face as it continued to fall.

Angelina grinned; now, Precious had Squirtle right where she wanted it. "Strike with your Tail Whip!"

"Naaaa!" Skitty raised her tail and swatted Squirtle harshly to the ground.

Even at this feat, however, Syorin remained calm and watched his Pokemon easily get back to its feet. "You know that Water Gun I used on you, Murakami? Well that was actually three times weaker than my Squirtle's normal Water Gun."

"You arrogant jerk!" Angelina's eyes vibrated a little at the sudden realization. **_'No way that could've been a weaker version of Squirtle's real Water Gun—it was strong enough already!'_**

"You look surprised." Syorin snapped her back to reality. "I had to see if your Pokemon were even past the kiddy league. Squirtle, you can feel free to show that Skitty your full power."

"Squirtle-squirt!" Squirtle took in a deep breath and blew out a sonic jet-stream of water. It rushed towards Precious so fast, that Angelina had hardly any time to think.

"Duck!" Angelina blurted out and both she and Precious dropped to the ground. The stunning water rushed just above their backs and crashed to the ground in such force, that a piece of street broke free.

"Duh!" "Ah!" "Whoa!" Angelina and Precious, Jeremy, Christina, Drew, and the crowd gasped at the damage.

"I think…." Drew started. "…. I think this is too much for Angelina."

"I agree, she should quit now." Jeremy said.

Not even Chikorita could stand it and stared at the ground. She felt lousy; she should've been helping her new trainer instead of watching.

"That was great." Angelina smiled as she got back to her feet. She truly was afraid a bit, but she kept her trust in Precious and herself. "Petty tricks like that don't intimidate us, that they don't."

"That's good to hear." Syorin closed his eyes and the Clear Bell glimmered brightly.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle made a gurgling sound while he launched another Water Gun assault.

"Evade, Precious!"

"Naaa!" Skitty rolled to the left to dodge a first strike, jumped to miss a second, and darted around the streets to evade the others. Each time Squirtle shot, its accuracy became more precise.

'**_How is he doing it? He's not even talking to his Pokemon!'_** Angelina thought to herself, **_'Unless…. I could test a hunch.'_**

"Precious, use your Agility and go in for an Iron Tail!" A rush of wind followed behind Precious as she blew across the street, her pink tail glowing a silvery-white. She neared her opponent and started swinging her tail.

"Just stay calm." Syorin whispered.

"Great, now strike it and end this match!"

"Naaa," Precious nodded as her tail was still glowing and swinging around in circles.

The turtle Pokemon did exactly what its trainer instructed to do and remained calm.

"It's almost time." Syorin said as he watched, then Precious cried out and swung her glowing tail at Squirtle. "Reversal!"

"Re—**what**?" Angelina blinked at Syorin.

Suddenly, Squirtle gripped Skitty's tail and swung her body around in circles, its tail also glowing.

"Oh-no!" Christina gasped.

"Angelina, call this battle off." Jeremy shouted.

Angelina turned around and gave him an angry, skeptical look. "Say what?"

"It's clear that Precious isn't strong enough to handle this. Call her back to her Pokeball quickly!"

"But I—"

**_BANGG!_** A swirl of dust kicked up and blinded everyone temporarily.

"Whoa!" Went the crowd.

"Arrggh!" Angelina used her arms to shield her eyes.

When the gust of dust blew off into the air, Angelina let out a gasp. Squirtle was standing tall and strong while Precious shook and panted, struggling to get to her feet. Maybe Jeremy was right; maybe Skitty wasn't as strong as Angelina expected. She had never lost a battle before. Surely some failure was to be expected, right? But it wasn't losing that angered Angelina, it was losing to Syorin that did. Letting her fists go limp and her bangs cover her eyes, Angelina slowly walked up to her Pokemon.

"Naa?" Skitty looked up at her.

"Precious, it's over. I can't stand to watch you get hurt anymore." Angelina pulled her Pokeball from her pocket, "Please return—dah!" In a furry, Precious swatted her Pokeball to the ground with her tail. Angelina, who was too taken aback, failed to notice that the Crystal Bell was glowing a little.

**_(Now you listen to me, Angelina Murakami: I'm not going to stop fighting 'till I take Syorin down)_** Precious wagged her tail as she explained, **_(He insulted me and, most importantly, insulted you. I'll teach him a lesson, so don't take me out yet)_**

Angelina seemed to think on it for a second, then smiled. "Fine, but remember that you won't be fighting alone." She held her paws gently. "I'll fight with you." With a thumbs-up, she jumped back with a boost of determination and power. "You hear that, Syorin? We're gonna' mop the floor with you, that we will."

Angelina's Crystal Bell exploded with a dozen threads of blue light. She could feel her breathing merge with her Skitty's; her heartbeat matched hers and became one. She smiled at the successful fusion they had just made.

"Naa-naaa!" Skitty lifted her fist and a large bead of light gathered around it. The wind from her power kicked up all around them.

"What's going on?" Christina asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think Skitty just learned a new attack." Drew said as Angelina pulled out her Pokedex and flipped it open. A picture of Skitty appeared on the screen followed by a beep. **_"Assist, a random attack from a Pokemon not in battle."_**

"Wow, I never expected Skitty to learn that in the middle of a fight." Jeremy said.

Angelina raised her hand and clenched her fist just like her Pokemon. "All right—" Angelina's voice started to echo.

"What the—" "Squirtle?" Syorin and Squirtle took an amazed step back, sweating a little bit.

'**_Where did all that…. power come from?'_** Syorin thought to himself.

"—Assist!" Angelina thrust her fist forward and Skitty's glowing fist fired out a blast of greenish-white power.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle became in place; just like Skitty was now, it must have been fused with it's trainer. And now that the shock froze Syorin, it froze his Pokemon as well.

**_KABOOM!_ **As soon as the attack connected with Squirtle's body, the turtle was hurled through the air in a rush-explosion. The crowd watched it whiz overhead and crash into a nearby building.

"Can't be," Drew stared in shock. "I think that was a Solar Beam."

"A grass-type attack, maybe from Chikorita," Jeremy added.

"Oh…. Squirtle." Syorin gazed at his Pokemon through the parted crowd. His calm expression turned serious and he darted forward down the street.

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur leapt onto Syorin's shoulder as he dashed down the part the crowd had made. Squirtle was on its stomach in the street.

"Squirtle, are you okay?" Syorin's calm disposition melted into an act of concern. He took Squirtle into his arms.

"Squirtle…."

"You put up a great fight. Take a rest now." Syorin recalled his Pokemon to its Pokeball. "Bulbasaur…." Bulbasaur tried to give Syorin comfort, looking at him sincerely.

"It's okay, Bulbasaur." Syorin told him calmly. The fact that he just lost didn't even bother him. It was as if he knew something no one else did.

Slowly, Angelina and Precious walked though the crowd up to Syorin. Angelina felt triumphant and yet she felt as if something about that battle wasn't right. "Hey, Syorin, I'm sorry about your Squirtle." she said.

Syorin stared at Angelina with those calm yet cold eyes. "….Whatever,"

"But I was just—"

"Round one," Syorin interrupted.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Angelina blinked.

"You passed round one. Don't expect to beat me again." Syorin told her. Without another word, he turned and walked away down the street.

"Chika-Chika!" Chikorita waved goodbye to Bulbasaur.

"Fine, be that way! Bleh!" Angelina stuck out her tongue at Syorin's back. After all that, he still didn't think Angelina had what it took to be a Pokemon Master. But Angelina would show him; actions like that only compelled her to do better.

"The nerve of that guy." "Pika-Pikachu!" Christina and Chocolate puffed their cheeks in anger.

"Chikori!" **_CRASH!!_** Chikorita rammed her body into Angelina's stomach and sent her crashing to the ground. Once again, she bit her arm with a smile. She shook a little as she felt Chikorita jump on her stomach. Chocolate, who had fallen off, had now sought refuge in Christina's arms, frowning.

"Oha…. what'd you do that for—?" But when Angelina looked up, Chikorita's lip quivered in an abrupt sadness. She looked as if she was ready to cry. What was with this Pokemon? She was so hard to figure out! Angelina scratched her head; she knew there was something she wanted, but she couldn't quite figure it out. But there had to be some reason she kept beating her up.

"…. Oh, I get it now." Angelina grinned and set Chikorita on the ground. "….GOTCHA'!!" Un-expectantly, Angelina gave Chikorita a good a good shove that sent her sprawling a bit.

"Ah! Angel, what're you **doing**?" Christina shrieked, taken aback by her sister's actions.

However, when Chikorita got back up, she smiled to her new trainer. "Chika!" She dashed up to Angelina and leapt into her arms, both of them giggling.

"….O—kay, am I the only one who doesn't get it?" Christina asked, scratching her head.

"I didn't expect you to." Jeremy nodded and folded his arms.

"And what's **that** supposed to mean?"

"The reason why Chikorita kept attacking Angelina was because she was testing her—it's how she shows affection. If she couldn't understand what she was trying to say, she wouldn't be able to understand her ever." Jeremy grinned, "Angelina had better get used to getting beat up—as long as she has that Chikorita, she'll be getting hit and bit every time she's called."

Pokemon teach us lessons all the time, just like friends. And with each lesson she learns, Angelina grows stronger. Will our heroes reach their destiny? Or will they fail miserably? Find out in the next chapter!

**§To Be Continued§**

Okay, a lot happens in this chapter! The Origin Waker part is explained, Dr. Takeshi is only a close friend to the Cretonne family but Drew treats him like a grandfather and Jeremy is new to it, Drew receives a Poke-Gear, Christina receives a Poke Nav, Angelina receives a Chikorita that Drew doesn't want, and Angelina battles with Syorin. So the next chapter will be up soon, thanks for reading!


	11. Twilight Hostage

Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except for my own characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 11: Twilight Hostage**

"Tackle attack, Basil-don't give it a chance to fight back!" "Chika!" Angelina's and her Chikorita's voices rang out into the starry evening sky.

Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina were in the grassy field right next to the colorfully lit Twinkle Town. While her friends sat in the grass and watched, Angelina was knee-deep into her seventh battle of the day with Chikorita. Ever since they started understanding each other, they had been non-stop battling. Jeremy recorded each and every one of their battles with his new silver video camera. He kept trying to turn the lens on Drew, but he threatened to break it if he did.

On this fine evening, the battle cries of the young female master and her Pokemon echo throughout the air. What kind of adventures and dangers await them in Twinkle Town? Only time will tell.

"Basil, use Vine Whip!" Angelina exclaimed, thrusting her fist forward.

"Chikori!!" Two vines bulleted from Basil's bud necklace and dated towards an opposing Sentret.

The Sentret's trainer, a kid with long, sea-green hair, frowned at the attack. "Sentret, dodge with a jump." He was wearing a pair of white pants and a blue shirt with the picture of a surfboard on it.

"Sentret!" Sentret leapt up to avoid the vine attack and landed on all fours.

"Now, Sentret, use Quick Attack!" The kid shouted.

"Sentreeet!" There was the sound of rapidly moving feet as Sentret started to move blindingly fast, kicking up little bits of grass behind it.

Angelina gave a grin to her opponent, "That's a neat trick, Sogen, but we're way too good for that! Endure, Basil!" the Chikorita nodded and tensed her entire body, closing her eyes; Sentret crashed head-first into her rock-solid defense harshly, barely inflicting any damage at all.

"Oh-no!"

"Oh-yes, finish this battle with your Slam attack!"

"Chikori!" Basil turned around in a jump and raised her head leaf to Sentret. She repeatedly used it to belt the ring-tailed Pokemon harshly.

Sogen growled as he watched his Sentret spin from being hit. "Okay, you win; just call off your attack Pokemon already!" At his surrender, Basil ceased her assault and let her head leaf hang limply.

Sogen walked over and picked up his exhausted Sentret gingerly. "Hey, buddy, are you okay?" He asked it.

"Sen…. sentret," It panted in response.

"That was terrific, Basil. You're on fire today!" Angelina exclaimed proudly.

"Chikori-chikori!" _**CLAMP!!**_ Angelina winced as Basil jumped into her grip and nipped her arm. Now that she understood her new Pokemon, she didn't mind her affectionate "abuse".

"That was a great match, Angelina." Sogen walked over and held out his hand.

"Ditto, Sogen," Angelina smiled and shook it.

"So, did you get a good shot?" Drew asked Jeremy.

The older boy held up his camera and smiled, "It's art!"

Angelina, Drew, Christina, Jeremy, Chocolate, and Basil sat with Sogen and Sentret at the edge of the grass field on the beach. Since Twinkle Town was bordered by water on three sides, it made a great beach spot and harbor.

Chocolate and Basil were playing in the shallow part of the water. It was good to see that they were finally getting along with each other.

"So, you say you're sailing to Dewford Town?" Sogen asked, letting his Sentret play with the other Pokemon.

"Well, we're trying to sail to Dewford Town." Drew corrected. "Right now, we have to find a boat to ride."

"I doubt we'll have enough money to pay for a ticket, let alone four." Jeremy said.

Sogen got to his feet suddenly. He looked to his new friends and flashed a thumbs-up. "If you need a ship, you should've asked me." He said, "My Grandpa used to be a big sea captain around the Hoenn Region-one of the best. He owns a ferry in the port of this very city and I'm sure he'll let you sail."

"That would be terrific. Thanks a lot, Sogen." Angelina gave a smile of relief. As far as she was concerned, it was a good idea as long as it didn't hurt her pocket.

Christina gazed up at the star-lit night sky. The twinkling white stars matched up well with the pearly moon. "Wow, I see where this town gets its name from….. hey, look at that!" She pointed up at the sky. Angelina, Jeremy, Drew and Sogen looked up with amazed expressions appearing on their faces. Out of curiosity, Chocolate, Basil, and Sentret gazed as well. Small waves of water splashed against their bodies lightly.

Moving in a large, lengthy bunch were a group of bright red lights. At first, Angelina thought they were stars, but a closer look proved them different. Thy looked like ladybugs, red-and-yellow, with four black and white arms and red feet. Their eyes were big and blue, their antenea were short, and there was some sort of black gem in the middle of their foreheads. "Le-" "Ledi-" "Le-" "Le-" Their voices were faint, but distinct nonetheless.

Angelina pulled out her Pokedex and flipped it open. _**"Ledian, the Five-star Pokemon. The spots on Ledian's back light in a reddish color when the stars are out at night. These Pokemon travel in groups and sprinkle a red glittering dust in the night sky."**_

"What are the Ledian doing up there?" Angelina wondered.

"Don't you know?" Sogen turned to her. He pointed out to the sea, where they saw a wooden ship flow across the water's surface. "Sailors use the Ledian like compasses at night. Since this particular group comes around Twinkle Town every night, night-sailing captains have come to rely on them."

"You mean, they read the Ledian to find their position?" Jeremy asked.

"Something like that." Sogen replied.

Christina's eyes trembled with marvel as she watched the Ledian flutter through the night. "So pretty.…. like from a fairy tale.…" It was so pretty, that she barely noticed the tugging at her bag. Something pulled at the side pocket of her backpack annoyingly. Without really noticing it, she swatted it away, only for it to return again. "…! Yeoww!" She suddenly jumped up, averting everyone's attention. "Wha-what is that thing?" She pointed to a tiny sky-blue Pokemon sitting at her ankles.

The crocodile-like Pokemon was small with pretty red eyes, and pearly sharp teeth. It had pink-colored scales going down its back to the tip of its tail and a golden "V" marked across its chest.

"We're just meeting all kinds of Pokemon today." Angelina withdrew her Pokedex again, "Hold on, that little guy is a Totodile!"

_**"Totodile, the Big Jaw Pokemon. This Pokemon's jaws are powerful and very capable of crushing nearly anything. Trainers take caution when handling this Pokemon."**_

"Toto," The Pokemon got to its feet and traveled back to Christina's backpack; it pulled and sniffed on it, looking at her pleadingly. It really didn't seem dangerous at all, so Angelina wondered why the Pokedex seemed to give such a worrisome definition.

"I take it this Pokemon came from the sea?" Sogen asked.

"I don't think Totodile come from seas; mostly from lakes and rivers. This one must have come from Petalburg Woods." Angelina stated.

Christina recovered from her shock and glanced to her backpack. "….oh, I know what you want." She took the bag and rummaged through the contents. She soon came up with a packaged loaf of lo mien bread in her grip.

"Hey, that's my lo mien bread!! I had to practically fight over that one!" Angelina shouted, fearing the consumption of her meal.

"Oh relax, you can always get another one-"

"Did you hear a word I just said?!"

"Don't mind her, Totodile." Christina started to unwrap the plastic surrounding the food.

When Totodile's nose caught stronger whiff, it started to jump excitedly. Angelina barked something, but Christina ignored her; she pulled out the loaf of lo mien bread and allowed Totodile to gobble it up in one bite.

"Nooooo!" Angelina cried, dropping to her knees. Her stomach gave a disappointed growl at both her and the greedy Pokemon. Then, she turned sharply to Christina. "I'm after your curry bread!"

"Oh-no you don't!"

"Give it up!"

Angelina started chasing her sister around the beach, making a grab for her backpack.

"Hands off, Lina; this is my curry bread-"

"You really should've thought of that before you passed off mine to that pig in scales!"

"It's just bread!"

"If it's just bread, then give me yours!"

"What's a little bread between sisters, eh?"

"OOfff!" Angelina tripped and fell face-first into the sand. Christina giggled and kept on running. She gave a growl and started chasing after her once again. "You're not being a very nice sister, Tina!"

"Who ever said I was a nice sister!"

"That's wrong!!" Angelina finally caught her backpack and pulled both of them to a halt. Whenever she gave a tug, Christina would tug back with equal power.

Drew, Jeremy, and Sogen sweated anime style as they watched the two sisters get into a wrestling match.

"They do this all the time?" Sogen asked.

"Actually, this is a first. But then, I don't think I was ever bold enough to mess with Angelina's food before either." Jeremy replied. The warm breeze of the night blew against his hair. It also carried something else along with it.

"Hey, get back here! Give her back to me!" A voice in the distance sounded and caused the five to glance back. Suddenly, a couple of figures rushed by them in a swirl of wind, laughing maniacally. They weren't able to get a good look at them; just able to see them dash into Twinkle Town. "Please, don't let him get away…." Another voice, a tired one, said.

"I know that voice!" Sogen's eyes shook with fear and he whirled around. The man, an old man, had beetle eyes, well-kept (for his age) wrinkle-free skin, and a big white mustache. He was wearing a large blue shirt, brown pants, and had a black bandanna on his head. "Help my poor Peeko." He voiced before collapsing on the ground.

"Mr. Briney!" Sogen ran up to him with Sentret tailing swiftly behind.

"Sentret-sentret!" Sentret squeaked as it clambered up to his shoulder.

Chocolate and Chikorita did the same to Angelina while they all ran to the old man.

"Are you okay?" Sogen knelt down on his knees.

"He's…. got my poor Peeko." The man said breathlessly before fainting.

"Quick, we need to get him to someplace safe!" Sogen exclaimed

"Okay!" Jeremy, Drew, Christina and Angelina nodded.

Well, it wasn't exactly a human hospital, but a rental room in the Twinkle Town Pokemon Center was just as good. The group stood around one of the four bunk beds that the old man was in with Nurse Joy covering him with a blanket. It was a good thing this Nurse was good in both the Pokemon and human medical fields.

"He will be just fine, he's just exhausted." Nurse Joy said.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but are you the sister of the Nurse Joy in Rustburo City?" Angelina scratched her head.

"Younger to be exact. Why?" Nurse Joy turned to her.

"I'm just curious." Angelina replied.

"C'mon, Chansey." "Chansey! Chansey!" With that, Nurse Joy and her pink Pokemon assistant left the room.

Sogen sat next to Mr. Briney, looking real worried.

"Sen-sentret?" Sentret flopped on its trainer's head.

"No, I'm fine, Sentret." Sogen replied, "Just a little worried about-"

"Arrgghh!" The old man groaned and turned in his bed a bit. All eyes turned to Mr. Briney as he awoke slowly. "….Sogen, is that you and Sentret?" His voice was weak at first. Then, abruptly, he sat straight up in his bed with a shocked look. "How'd I get here? What happened?" He asked.

"Take it easy, Grandpa, you need to test for a little bit." Sogen told him.

"So this guy is your grandfather?" Drew asked a little bit skeptically.

"Yeah," Sogen replied lightly at first. It took him a little bit before the question actually hit him, "What's with the voice of disbelief?"

"It's just that this guy is Mr. Briney!"

"The Mr. Briney?" Angelina gave a shocked expression. "Why, I-" The young girl gasped, causing everyone to turn to her. It sounded as if Mr. Briney was some kind of great man. "I.…" she continued, "….have absolutely no idea who we're all talking about."

_**BANG!!!**_ At that, everyone in the room fell to the ground, sweating anime style.

"Why is it that we have to tell you everything?" Jeremy asked. Angelina gave a forced grin and scratched her head.

Drew got up and pointed into the air, "Everyone knows that Mr. Briney is one of the greatest captains to sail the seas. I've heard that he sailed all around the Sand-dollar sea next to Captain Stern." He explained.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I'm not as great as you make me out to be." Mr. Briney growled and gripped his sheet. "I can't believe he got away."

"What were you doing, running like a mad-man in the middle of the night?" Sogen asked sternly.

"I think we'd like to know that, too." Jeremy said.

Mr. Briney took a deep breath and let his brain skip back. "Let me see.… I was just out, cleaning my ferry ship with my darling Peeko, when I heard a strange noise. Naturally, I thought it was some hooligans trying to tag my ship, so I went to go shout them away. But when I got off my ship, there was no one there. Suddenly, just like ghosts, this man appeared in the shadow of the ship. Only when the moonlight hit did I actually see their entire figure. Somehow, he knew I had information on the Delta project."

"Hmm," Angelina frowned at that name again. How was it that everyone but her knew about this Delta thing?

"When I refused to tell him what he needed to know, he kidnapped my Poor Peeko." Briney's eyes started to water a little. There was a clicking noise as Angelina scanned through the digital pages of her Pokedex. "…Sorry, but there's no Pokemon by the name of _**'Peeko'**_ in here." she said. _**CLACK!!**_ "Hey!" Drew borrowed Jeremy's fan and swatted her on the head sharply.

"That's a nickname!" Drew and Jeremy exclaimed at her.

"Peeko is a Wingull." Briney said.

'_**Wingull, the Seagull Pokemon. Wingull has the habit of carrying prey and valuables in its beak and hiding them in all sorts of locations. This Pokemon rides the winds and flies as if it were skating across the sky.'**_ Dexette said for the image of a tiny white seagull Pokemon. Its beak was yellow, tipped with black, and its wings had a blue stripe near the edge.

"Tell me, Mr. Briney, did this vandal wear a red hooded shirt with a shadow of a mountain or a blue bandana with a white circle in a pointed tip and bone-ends at the bottom?" Angelina asked.

"The uniform was red, you know him?" Mr. Briney looked over to her.

"It's Team Magma," Angelina growled.

"Don't worry, Grandpa, I'll get Peeko back for you." Sogen got to his feet, Sentret dropping to the ground; he clenched his fists and burst out the room. "Let's go, Sentret!" He shouted and Sentret followed.

"We better go, he doesn't know Team Magma like we do," Angelina stated. She, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina nodded to each other before running off.

"Basil, return." Angelina recalled her Chikorita to her Pokeball before bursting through the door.

"Erm…. be careful, you kids." Mr. Briney said. He knew he couldn't stop them and he was certainly in no position to try.

Sogen ran blindly through the brightly lit streets of Twinkle Town. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he'd find Team Magma eventually. He was determined to find the grunt and wasn't prepared to give up at all.

"Don't worry, Sentret; we'll find the crook who took Peeko from Grandpa." Sogen said to Sentret, who was running alongside of him.

"Sogen, wait up!" Angelina called from behind him. She, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina panted as they dashed to follow him.

"What do you want?" Sogen asked, slowing to a stop.

While Jeremy, Drew, and Christina caught their breath; Angelina walked up to Sogen. "Like I said before, you don't know Team Magma like we do. If you let us help, you'll have a rough idea of how hard this may be."

"I can use all the help I can get. Do you have some plan of attack?" Sogen asked her.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that as well." Jeremy said.

"Eh!" Angelina took a step back, sweating anime style. "Uh…. well…." she let her eyes wander around, as if she'd catch the answering falling from the sky.

"You mean you dragged us all the way out here without a clue of what to do?!" Christina shrieked a bit.

"Yup.… it's starting to look that way…. then again," Angelina looked to her Pikachu perched on her shoulder. "Chocolate, do you remember Team Magma?" she asked her.

"Pika-Pikachu!" Chocolate nodded with a serious expression.

"Then can you use your nose to try and sniff them out?"

Chocolate nodded again, jumping down and started sniffing the ground. She let her nose prowl the sidewalk, snorting out all unfamiliar smells.

"Do you think this'll work?" Sogen asked Jeremy.

"Oh, yeah; Pikachu will be able to find Team Magma with no problem." Almost as soon as Jeremy replied, Chocolate let out a triumphant squeak and started down the sidewalk.

"I think she's got something!" Angelina started after her Pokemon, the other four following as well.

"Don't go too fast; wait for me!" Christina, who was slowly falling behind, cried.

Little did the group know that a certain blue Pokemon had been tailing them ever since they left the Pokemon Center. "Totodile…" Totodile stepped out of the shadows of a lamppost and waited till it was a short distance from the kids before it dashed after them.

Chocolate kept her nose close to the ground as she sprinted through Twinkle Town just ahead of her trainer.

"Wow, I think your Pikachu actually has a lock on this Team Magma." Sogen complimented.

"Yeah, keep this up and there's Christina's curry bread as a treat." Angelina said.

Christina coughed, "We're not going to start that again, are we?"

There were a couple of giggles from Jeremy, Drew, and Sogen.

Even though it was a little late, Angelina pondered curiously, "What's with the sudden need for information on Delta?" Her face went serious, "What exactly was Delta, anyway?"

"Angel, watch out!" Drew's voice broke through Angelina's thoughts and the world came rushing back to her. Her eyes met with dock and revealed that she was teetering off towards the deep blue water below. "Wha-haaaaa!" she flailed her arms in a desperate and futile attempt to correct herself.

"Pikachu!" "Sentret!" "We've got you!" By the time her friends caught up with her, Angelina was hanging sideways on the wharf. Her left foot was the only part of her body supporting her from the fall.

"Eh…" A drop of sweat rolled off Angelina's cheek and into the wet.

"On the count of three." Jeremy grunted. "One…two…THREE!" With a mighty heave, they pulled Angelina back up onto the dock and collapsed from her falling on them.

"Gee, thanks," Angelina told her friends and they all gave a thumbs-up.

"You can thank us by getting off." Jeremy said.

"Oh," Angelina sweated anime style and got to her feet. One by one, she helped them up and dusted them off. Chocolate jumped onto her shoulder.

The port was filled with different ships of all shapes and sizes. As a matter of fact, the only time Angelina had seen so many ships was in the pictures Wally's dad kept. The only thing besides a boat near the port was a sea cavern a short way from the beach.

"So, Chocolate, what's the scoop?" Angelina asked her Pokemon.

"Pikachu, Pika-chu," Chocolate imitated sniffing the air, as if instructing Angelina to do so.

Angelina did the same, but could only smell the salty breeze of the sea. "You mean, they went out onto the water?"

"Pika," Chocolate nodded to her trainer.

"Well that's just great; Team Magma could be miles away by now. I guess Team Magma finally got away." Drew said.

"Whaaaattt!!" Sogen grabbed Drew around the shoulders and started shaking him wildly, "What do you mean 'got away'? Whatdoyoumean-whatdoyoumean-whatdoyoumean?!"

"Take it easy, Sogen!" Angelina pried Sogen away with Drew panting a bit.

"How am I supposed to take it easy?" Sogen said.

"Because I don't think he's gotten very far." Angelina pointed to the cave on the sea.

"Do you think he went in there?" Jeremy asked her.

"Only one way to find out." With that, Angelina started to climb down the dock into a nearby wooden rowboat.

"But what if it's a wild duck chase or something?" Christina asked as she climbed down next.

"That's wild goose chase. And that's what makes it interesting." Angelina replied.

Jeremy, Drew and Sogen slid down into the rowboat as well. The wooden tub rocked a little underneath their weight. After Angelina untied the rope holding it to the dock, Jeremy started to row across the water.

The dank and dark cave echoed with droplets of water as the small rowboat drifted deeper inside. The group gazed up at the jagged ceiling, spooked a little by the dead silence, but even more so by the tons of broken ships. In order to battle the darkness, Christina let her Charmander lead the boat. By now, Jeremy had stopped rowing and just let the boat slug calmly along the water.

"On second thought, maybe we should head back." Christina started to fidget nervously a bit.

"We're here now; there's no use in turning back now." Drew said fearlessly, though his eyes shivered lightly.

"I think I've heard of this place." Sogen gulped, "This is the skip graveyard, where they put ships and boats that are too old and tatty to sail anymore. Some of these ships are said to even be haunted." At that, Christina and Drew shivered.

"Oh, tish-tosh-ghost Pokemon, maybe," Angelina said.

"Yeah, I don't think this place is haunted by anything that's actually scary." Jeremy added.

"Then why are you squeezing my hand?" Christina barked, blushing a bit.

"That's not me." Jeremy glanced back.

Drew looked down and that it was he who was holding Christina's hand. A surge of hot-cold embarrassment went through his body heavily. Christina, who had been searching for the one gripping her palm, noticed as well. "…!!" Quickly, they pulled away from each other, folding their arms. Angelina and Jeremy couldn't help but utter a chuckle.

Their boat drifted to a halt on the bank of land, right beside another boat.

"It's another boat." Sogen stated.

The kids jumped out of the boat silently and gazed at the motor boat in their midst. Christina and Drew were careful to avoid direct eye contact.

"Chocolate, use your nose to sniff out the owners of the boat. See if Team Magma has been inside."

"Pika!" Chocolate leapt off Angelina's shoulder and dashed over to the boat; she prodded the seats with her nose carefully. "Pikachu, pika-pika! Pikachu!" She shouted, her thunderbolt shaped-tail wagged occasionally.

"What'd she say?" Sogen asked.

"By the looks of it, I think she's found our culprit. Lead the way, Chocolate." Angelina said.

"Pikachu," With a squeak, Chocolate turned and skipped down the rocky trail. Angelina and her friends gave chase immediately and hopefully; looking for the Magma Grunt.

The young man wearing a red uniform saw the group, then glares angrily, "What are you coming? Come and get some, then!" he threw out a Pokeball; the white light revealed a large purple-creature with speaker-like ears and a big yellow mouth.

"What Pokemon is that?" Angelina brought out her Pokedex.

'_**Loudred, the Big Voice Pokemon. It uses its voice to punish it's foes while its round ears serve as loudspeakers.' **_

"Hmm, better be careful with this one," Angelina repocketed her Pokedex; she looked up to see a certain blue Pokemon came wandering by. "Huh?…. hey!"

"It's Totodile!" Christina said, and Totodile smiled at her. "Did you follow us all the way over here?"

"Toto-to-toto-dile!" the gator-like Pokemon leapt.

"Attack!" the Magma Grunt exclaimed.

Loudred made a mad-dash towards Totodile, while all it did was just stand there.

"Totodile, Water Gun attack!" Christina blurted out.

"Toto-dile!" Totodile opened its big mouth and launched a jet-stream of H20 at its attackers.

Loudred let out a yelp as it was blasted back to the ground.

"Loudred, use your Hyper Voice!" the Grunt ordered.

Loudred got to its feet and its speaker-like ears started to vibrate.

"Finish with Water Gun!" Christina cried.

"Totodile-dile!" Totodile let out a stream of water and sent Loudred flying into a ship wall before it could attack.

"Ack! Return now, Loudred!" the Grunt recalled his Pokemon to its Pokeball, frowning. "Darn it! I didn't expect to be beaten by a little kid! Goodbye, for now!" He then made a run for it.

"Hey!" the kids shouted.

The Magma Grunt, who still had Peeko hostage, jumped into his motorboat and revved the motor to life.

"He's getting away!" Sogen exclaimed, he was the first to run.

"C'mon, you two!" Christina held out her arms and Totodile and Charmander hopped in; now following Angelina, Chocolate, Drew, and Jeremy.

The Magma Grunt finally got his boat untied and started backing out as fast as he could.

Angelina was running on the strip of land alongside the boat, clutching a Pokeball. She gave the Grunt a grin to hint him on his defeat. "I choose you," she said calmly and the item flashed open.

"Azuu!" Spritz appeared, running along side her trainer; Chocolate was on Angelina's shoulder.

"You two know what to do."

"Piiiikaaa!" "Azuuuu!" Chocolate (who shocked itself and Comrades) and Spritz let out a mixed blast of lightning and water; the attack traveled along the water and connected with the moving vehicle.

_**KABOOOOM!!!**_ The boat exploded, sending everything out of the mouth of the cave.

The kids made their way to the edge of the land path.

Sogen looked up into the sky at the debris flying around. When his eyes fell on the screaming (and caged) Wingull, he held out his arms. "Peeko!" "Wingull!!" He caught the cage deftly.

"Wingull, Wingull!" Peeko chirped happily at him.

Then, Sogen turned to Angelina and her friends. "Thanks a lot. You don't know what this Wingull means to my Grandpa. He'd never be able to brave the sea without her." He said.

"No problem; we do this kind of stuff all the time." Jeremy flashed him a thumbs-up and they all smiled.

Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, Christina (holding a Pokeball with her newly caught Totodile), and Chocolate stood in the Pokemon Center with Sogen and Mr. Briney. The old sea captain had just awaken from his nap and came down to greet his Pokemon's rescuers.

Before they could talk, however, Nurse Joy walked up to them with Peeko resting in her arms. "Your Wingull is in tip-top shape, Mr. Briney." She smiled.

"Peeko, ol' girl!" At the sound of Briney's voice, Peeko leapt up and fluttered into his arms.

"Wingull-Wingull!" Peeko squeaked happily.

"I can't thank you kids enough for bringing my first mate back to me." Briney was close to tears.

"Actually," Angelina held out her hand, "If you can get us to Dewford Town, We'll take it."

Mr. Briney smiled and shook the girl's hand. "You've got yourself a deal. And don't forget to thank her and her friends, Peeko."

"Wingull!" As thanks, Peeko fluttered into the air and nipped Angelina, Chocolate, Christina, Jeremy, Drew, and Sogen affectionately on the cheeks. They all burst into laughter as Peeko nipped them again and again.

**§To Be Continued§**

So in this chapter, Sogen is Mr. Briney's grandson. Then you can guess that Mr. Briney's Wingull taken from a Magma Grunt is based from the GBA Ruby version but with my ideas added in. Thanks for reading, I will update again soon!


	12. Taken For Granite

Hey guys, back again! Thanks for the reviews, so here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 12: Taken For Granite**

The S.S. Peeko sailed smoothly on the mild ocean waves. The sun of a new day beamed down, allowing the water of Mr. Briney's ferry boat. Peeko fluttered around with Sogen while he cleaned up around the ship. As for the four heroes; they were enjoying a relaxing cruise across Zinrai Sea.

On the deck; Jeremy and Drew were laying on a couple of stretch chairs, wearing their bathing suits and soaking up some sun rays. Christina was sitting in a fold-out chair and coloring in a book; also keeping an eye on Smoochum, Treecko, and Roselia, whom were chilling at the foot of the beach chairs.

Angelina and Chocolate; however, were sitting along the railing on the side of the boat, watching the water splash by.

"Pika!" Chocolate clambered up to her trainer's shoulder and belly-flopped onto her. A gentle breeze blew up from the sea and smacked her in the face.

"Angel, you should be careful not to fall off." Jeremy glanced over, lifting his sunglasses for a second.

"Whatever; I'm not a little kid." Angelina's hair swayed slightly in the wind. She glanced down and peered into the water again. A school of Mudkip swam by followed by a couple of other Pokemon—their parents. They looked like a larger, buffer version of Mudkip with a large, black tailfin, two black fins on their heads, and yellow gills. Its skin was darker in blue and it had yellow spots on its arms.

"Check it out, Chocolate." Angelina pointed and pulled out her Pokedex.

"_**Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokemon. Swampert predicts storms by sensing subtle differences in the sounds of waves and tidal winds with its fins. If a storm is approaching, it piles up boulders to protect itself."**_ Dexette spoke.

"Wow, they're so cute! Wouldn't it be fun to have a Mudkip on our team, Chocolate?" Angelina asked her Poke-partner.

"Pika-pi-pikachu!!" Chocolate scowled, she slapped Angelina lightly on the cheek.

"You know, you're right; I should be lucky with what Pokemon I already have." Angelina smiled and Chocolate smiled back.

"Maybe you two should concentrate more on your next gym match. Brawly isn't going to be easy to fight." Sogen said. He wrapped up a long rope and walked over to Angelina. "Brawly uses fighting-type Pokemon. If you're not careful, he could crush your little Pikachu."

"You underestimate my Pikachu's power; she's a lot stronger than she looks." Angelina said.

"Pika," Chocolate blushed.

Today, our heroes find themselves sailing across the sea. What adventures await them once they get to Dewford Island?

_**FWOOOOMM!!!**_ The ferry whistle bellowed through the air and caused a flock of Wingull that were resting on it to flutter away. Slowly, a sandy island with a thick forest came into view in the distance. If Angelina and Sogen looked closely, they could see a town at the far edge.

"This is your captain speaking," Mr. Briney's voice came from the loud-speaker, "We have arrived at Dewford Island. Please, for your own sakes, do not attempt to jump from the boat until we've come to a complete stop. Thanks for riding."

"Geeez, the way he's talking, you'd think we were on a plane or something." Sogen sweated anime style, and Angelina chuckled a little as Christina joined them. Jeremy and Drew left immediately into the cabin to go change back into their field clothes.

The S.S. Peeko pulled into the wharf on the beach of the island and let down its staircase on the side.

Angelina stood atop the rail as if it were flat ground and glanced down at the deck. "Where are those two, anyway? No one said this was going to be a long trip; they didn't have to change." she folded her arms. She started pacing across the rail with Christina while they waited for their friends.

"Angelina, I guess I should tell you now that getting to Dewford Town won't be easy." Sogen said, "You'll have to go through the beach forest in order to actually get to the town."

"**Another forest**?" Angelina sighed.

"Don't worry about it. If you stick to the dirt path, you'll be in Dewford Town in no time."

"Just stick to the dirt path, eh?" Angelina leapt down onto the floor.

There were two clicks and Jeremy and Drew emerged from their shared cabin back in their normal clothes. Their Pokemon were recalled to their Pokeballs.

"Well, I'm certainly glad you two took your time." Angelina complained.

"Oh, come on, Angel; it's not going to kill you." Jeremy said.

"No, what's killing me is the fact that you two, nor Christina didn't bark at each other this whole boat ride." Angelina folded her arms again and walked down the ship steps. Jeremy and Drew followed right behind the girls, mumbling and growling. They stepped onto the soft sand of the beach and off the boat.

"Murakami!" Mr. Briney called from atop his ship. The kids turned to gaze at the boat's wheel. "Once you get to Dewford Town, go to the Pokemon Center. I've arranged a boat for you to take to Slateport City. Nurse Joy will have your tickets; just make sure you're not late for it."

"Don't worry; we won't." Drew agreed.

"Goodbye!" Sogen waved. "And Murakami, don't get over-confident. Once we get to the Hoenn League, I'll eat you."

"I'm sorry to say, Sogen, but I'll be the winner of that match." Angelina grinned.

With the four waving goodbye, the S.S. Peeko sailed away, bellowing its horn along the waves.

"Jeremy, Christina, Drew; it's time to go." Angelina flashed a thumbs-up to them.

"Awwwww…. can't we stay and enjoy the beach? It's so beautiful." Christina asked, sifting some sand through her fingers.

"Oh, we can enjoy the beach any ol' day. If we stop now, we'll never get to Dewford Town." Angelina said and started walking towards the forest. She didn't get far when Drew stepped right in front of her, growling.

"You rushed us to Rustburo City," Drew said through clenched teeth, "Don't rush us away from here as well."

"Don't sweat it, Drew. According to the Poke Gear, Dewford Town has one of the best beaches in the entire Hoenn Region." Jeremy stated as he, Christina, and Angelina started into the beach forest.

Drew folded his arms and frowned, "Fine, have it your way." he stomped in front of them with Christina right behind. The way he saw it, it was their turn to be rushed. Not ones to complain about speed, the older teens followed silently.

The light breeze had carried the ocean smell all the way through the forest. This made it impossible for Drew to forget about the beach. He gave a sigh while trying to keep his pace. CHWASH!! Suddenly, Drew felt the ground collapse from underneath his feet and he looked down. A dark hole had replaced the dirt floor he was once standing on. "Uh…. uh-oh!" A rush of wind smacked against his body as he dropped down into the pit. "Umph!" _**THUD!!**_ He landed onto the cold hard ground harshly.

"Drew? Hey, Drew, are you okay?" Angelina shouted down into the hole.

"Yeah, I'm just fine." Drew said, getting to his feet.

Angelina placed Chocolate on top of her head, following her first instinct to go and get her fallen friend. And since there was no argument, she took it that Jeremy and Christina were thinking the same way. "Hang on; we're coming down to help."

"No, wait—" the three friends jumped down into the dirt pit.

Fortunate for them, their landing was a lot more pleasant than Drew's.

"Now how're we supposed to get back up with you down here?" Drew asked simply.

Angelina, however, wasn't paying attention and was too busy gazing down the long dark tunnel that was a part of the pit.

"Angel, are you listening to us?" Drew, Jeremy, and Christina asked.

"There's a tunnel down here." Angelina pointed; it was as if their words didn't even make its way to her ears. Without another word, Angelina started to walk down the tunnel curiously. Jeremy, Drew, and Christina sweated anime style; they sometimes couldn't stand that mind of Angelina's.

The deeper the two went into the tunnel, the darker it got. Their footsteps were the only noises echoing in the cave. Soon, it was so dark that they couldn't see a thing.

"Hey, Tina, how about some light in here?" Angelina asked.

"Light?... oh—right," Christina pulled out a Pokeball from her belt and pressed the button in the middle twice. "Go Charmander!" the ball flashed open and Charmander appeared, scratching itself with its foot.

"Charmander," It shook it fiery tail. With Charmander in the lead, the four continued down the tunnel. Its tail crackled in their silence.

Angelina got a good look at the walls, now in the light, and noticed that there were some sort of weird symbols and Unown. "Hmm…." she edged closer to the wall and placed a hand on it. It felt rough and ancient—she could've worn it out if she touched too long.

"So, can you read it?" Drew suddenly asked her.

"Yeah, I can read it a little."

"**Really**?" Drew came to a stop.

"I was just joking, you know—"

"But if you can really read it, read it to us?" Jeremy asked.

Angelina nodded and moved over to the wall again. She had read it once before, so it didn't seem so hard to do now. "Hmmm…. this tunnel used to be used as a direct route to Dewford Town…. I think. Whoever created it made it with many paths to confuse an enemy or something like that. These tunnels may also—" In a shock, Angelina swiftly drew back her hand. She could've sworn that one of the Unown symbols started moving.

"What's wrong?" Christina asked.

"Erm…. it's nothing; my eyes must be playing tricks on me." Angelina rubbed her eyes, careful not to knock her contact lenses out.

_**SCWEEEEEE!! EWEEEECH!!**_! An echo of shrill shrieks and flapping bounced around the tunnel behind them.

"What's that?!" "Pika—" "Char!" the five took a glance back.

The Pokemon fluttered at them through the darkness and came into Charmander's tail-light. They were blue bat-like Pokemon with purple wings and big ears. They were sightless, having no eyes, and had razor-sharp fangs.

"Oh-no! Zubat!!" the group turned tail and ran for their lives down the dark tunnel.

"I didn't know those things were down here!" Christina shouted.

"This tunnel is cave-like; it's no surprise the Zubat made their home here. We just have to keep away from them!" Jeremy answered her.

They panted heavily as the floor they were running on went from dirt to stone.

"Hmmm…." Angelina looked to the side at the wall. **'This tunnel is supposed to have many corridors. Maybe…. there!'** "Go this way!" She skidded a bit and flashed down the left corridor with Chocolate clinging to her shoulder.

"Hey, wait for us!" Jeremy, Drew, and Christina scrambled off into the corridor.

"Char-char!" Charmander waved its little arms frantically. It had lagged terribly behind and called out to his trainer quite loudly.

"Charmander, get back here!" Christina reached out and snatched her Pokemon up.

The Zubat swarm shook pass the corridor in a blind fury. As long as the gang kept quiet, the Zubat would zoom right by.

"Ah…. oh-no," Jeremy held his hand to his face.

"Ssshh! Keep your voice down." Angelina hissed.

"But Ang—" Jeremy started to rock a little as he held his nose.

"Be quiet!" Christina snapped.

"Ah…. Ah-ACHOO!" Jeremy let out a lout sneeze.

The tail-end of the Zubat swarm twitched an ear before turning their way. "Zubbaaaaat!!" They screeched.

"I'll take care of this." Angelina grabbed a Pokeball from her belt.

"Noctowl, I choose you!"

From out of nowhere, a Pokeball came flying overhead and landed in front of them. It burst open with a bright light and a bird Pokemon came out. The owl Pokemon's feathers were dark brown except for its tan underside. Its belly was patterned with brown triangles. Noctowl's eyes were a penetrating red and it had a v-shaped crest of feathers on its forehead.

Running up to the group, a man in a black outfit ordered his Pokemon, "Noctowl, use Gust attack!"

"Hoooo-hooooo!" Noctowl flapped its wings mightily and sent a strong whirlwind spiraling against the walls.

A few Zubat were blown away in a wicked screech, causing their comrade's to make a hasty retreat for fear of another attack. Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina let out a sigh of relief.

"Good job, Noctowl." The young man held up his arm and Noctowl landed on it. He had short sea-blue hair and blue eyes. His shirt, which had purple streaks running up the front, was completed with a white dress shirt underneath and a read tie. Around his arms and middle finger were three silver rings. "What're you four doing down here? Don't you know it's dangerous to be roaming the ruins of Granite Cave?"

"Sorry, we kinda got lost," Jeremy said.

"Well…. These corridors are very confusing so I guess your story checks out. Hi, I'm Steven Stone, the treasure hunter."

"And I'm Angelina Murakami. This is my little sister, Christina, my two friends, Jeremy and Drew, and my Poke-pal, Chocolate." Angelina pointed to Pikachu and she let out a happy squeak.

"Can I ask what _**you're**_ doing down here, Steven?" Drew asked curiously.

"Treasure hunting, of course," Steven turned and started walking down the corridor he had appeared from, motioning for the group to follow.

Charmander trotted up to the front to shine its light. In order to help out even further, Steven clicked on a flashlight and aimed it into the darkness.

"These ruins have been down here for centuries," Steven continued, "Hardly anyone travels them because they're afraid of getting lost. So, they just stick to the normal cave path. I've been reading the ancient symbols on the wall and they tell of a secret room of evolution stones. It's my pride as treasure hunter to find such a room. The only problem is that there is a certain corridor split where I can't read the ancient writings."

At this, Angelina reached into her bag and rummaged through the contents. "Did it look anything like this?" she flipped open an old-looking book with yellow pages and a strong leather binding; then held it up to Steven.

"It's that book again," Jeremy mumbled.

"Where'd you get this treasure from?" Steven asked, also stopping to take a good look.

"It's…. em…. a family thing." Angelina sweated anime style, wondering why she had even found the old book in her step-relatives' attic. "Anyway, is this what you saw?"

"Yeah, it is."

Angelina grinned and slammed the dusty book shut. "Then consider me your interrupter. I can read it with no problem." she raised a fist.

"Excellent, then follow me; I'll lead you to the corridor split with the writing on it." Steven started down the tunnel again with the others following him.

The deeper they went down the ruins' corridors, the darker the darkness became. Soon it was pitch black and they had to rely on Charmander's tail flame and Steven's flashlight.

Angelina was now walking beside Charmander, running her hand along the wall as she read the archaic symbols.

"Uh-oh," Christina breathed.

The group came to a stop at a three way split in the path. Steven started to sweat as his eyes darted from the three tunnel ways.

"Which way do we go?" Drew asked him.

"Not sure; I can't seem to remember which corridor I went down."

"Oh, great!" _**BANG!!**_ Drew, Jeremy, and Christina fell to the ground anime style.

"Don't blame me; I came running through here to help you guys!" Steven exclaimed.

Angelina, assisted by Charmander's light, started touching the wall between each tunnel. The markings were definitely Poketilan symbols—the only system of writing that could only be read by a select few. "Hmmmm…." she hummed.

"Pika-chu, pika-Pikachu?" Chocolate spoke, tapping Angelina's shoulder.

"No, I'm trying to find which one doesn't lead to a maze." Angelina pointed to a bunch of lines and squiggles. It was amazing how well she could read the foreign language now; kind of as if it had come to her overnight. **"Now which way do we go?"** A faint blue light glimmered from below at her thoughts. "Ohaaa…." The Crystal Bell hovered out in front of her, tugging at its chain. It aimed for the left tunnel way threateningly.

"What's up with your weird bell, Murakami?" Steven asked.

"I've seen it glow a couple of times, but never act like that," Jeremy commented.

"I think it's trying to pull me in the right direction." Without warning, Angelina scooped up Charmander and dashed down the hall. She stared down the left tunnel. "I think we should go in that right direction."

"Not so fast!" Jeremy, Drew, Christina, and Steven raced after her.

Angelina didn't know if where she was going was going was correct, but it was her best chance. Before she left, she noticed a couple of trap warnings over the other pathways. The tunnel twisted and turned wildly. A dim light shone at the end.

"Angel, don't go so fast!" Christina called. She was trailing so far behind that Steven sent Noctowl to fly around her.

They made a turn around a sharp corner and headed towards a threshold. Now, the walls of the corridor were decorated with lit torches—something strange for such old ruins.

"….whoa, HOLD IT!" _**SCCRREEECHH! **_Angelina suddenly skidded to a halt. Her feet screeched as she prevented herself from passing the threshold.

"Watch out!" Jeremy was the first to crash, followed by Drew, Steven, Christina, and Noctowl.

"Char? Pika?" Charmander and Chocolate glanced back. When they saw the dog-pile, they let out a sigh and sweat anime style.

"That was un-cool, Murakami!" Steven rubbed his head.

"Why'd you stop like that?" Jeremy growled.

Angelina pointed to the wall. There was a combination of Pokemon pictures, shapes, and squiggly lines. "You see, this is a warning right here" she said, "These ruins contain traps beyond certain points. This threshold just happens to be one of them. If we're not careful, we could end up as permanent residents here." Angelina sets Charmander by its trainer and puts Chocolate in Drew's arms. She then drew her black rose-shaped staff and dashed through the threshold into the light of the new corridor. "Don't follow me!" she shouted. The ground shifted underneath her weight and she stopped abruptly. Holes in the ruin walls slid open, launching a battalion of needle-tipped arrows. Angelina closed her eyes to relax her body. "….Shaaa!" There were a few swishes, zaps, and the sparkle of the light reflecting off the staff as the arrows fell to pieces on the ground. "Heh, too easy for me—" Suddenly, the ground started to rumble and quake all over.

"W-w-what's t-that?" Christina's voice shook.

Angelina stood up and blinked; from around the corner, a giant boulder rolled across the brick floor—it was big enough to cover the entire tunnel.

"Hmph!" Angelina held out her staff again.

"You're not going to be the only hero around here, you show-off!" From out of nowhere, Jeremy jumped over Angelina's shoulder with his fist drawn back.

The boulder roared loudly at each time it smacked the wall.

"Are you crazy?!" Angelina rushed forward to match the speeds with her friend.

Jeremy thrust his fist forward and he heaved a sword through the air; a powerful blast caused the once rolling stone to burst into a fine dust. The two landed on the ground.

Jeremy frowned to Angelina, "I said I had it."

"You're not invincible." Angelina replied simply.

"Ah…." Steven sweated anime style, blinking in disbelief.

"You'll get use to it." Drew said simply.

"I'm not sure, but it may be safe." Angelina stated.

"You're not**sure**?" Christina ran up to her, growling.

"Just trust me." Angelina smiled.

The group continued to walk down the torch-lit hall with Angelina still reading the interesting stories on the wall. Jeremy was fascinated by the ruins so much that he began taking recordings with his camera.

Angelina felt a tapping on her shoulder and waved it away mindlessly. It was probably just Chocolate messing with her.

_**Tweep-tweep!**_ The tapping became sterner.

"Cut it out, Chocolate." Angelina waved again.

_**Tweep-Tweep-Tweep!**_

"Knock it off, Chocolate!" Angelina hissed louder.

"What're you talking about? She's back here with me?" Drew said.

"…." Angelina's face went a little worried and she started sweating. "Then who is—" she turned around and jumped a bit. "Jeremy," she voiced weakly, "I am just seeing things, right?"

Jeremy turned around as well. Once he did, it wasn't long before he was sporting the same look as his friend. "If you are, then we are too." He gulped.

A crackling red flame ball floated in between them. It made a faint whistling sound as it soared slightly.

"Okay, maybe if we just walk away, it'll disappear," Angelina turned, but stopped abruptly. Another fireball hovered in front of her very eyes.

"They're popping up everywhere!" Jeremy growled. About a dozen flaming spheres were now circling them threateningly.

"What're we going to do?!" Christina shrieked.

"We're gonna fight!" Steven said. "Something tells me these aren't what they appear to be. Noctowl, use Foresight!"

Noctowl fluttered off of its trainer's shoulder and flew up into the air, letting out a "Cu-whoo". It stared at the fireballs, its red eyes shone with a blue light that hit them; the flames slowly faded into a black spherical Pokemon with slanted eyes and a big mouth. Its entire body was enshrouded by a purple ghostly gas.

"I thought so," Steven snapped his fingers.

"_**Gastly, the Gas Pokemon. These Pokemon like to become invisible in order to sneak up on their prey. They are made up entirely of gas, which can be poisonous if it feels threatened."**_ Angelina's Pokedex spoke out.

"Ga-Gastly!" The Gastly all stuck their tongues out at them.

"If they're Pokemon, then they won't mind if we battle." Angelina grabbed a Pokeball from her belt. "Let's go, Basil!" she threw it and it burst open in a flash of light, revealing her Chikorita.

"Chika-Chika!" _**BANG!**_ Basil thrusted her shoulder into her trainer, trying to bite through her shirt.

"Basil!" Angelina staggered a bit, "Don't ram me; ram them!" he scolded.

Basil scampered off into a fly tackle towards the Gastly.

"Angel, ghost-types aren't affected by physical attacks." Jeremy told her.

"Unless the Forsight Attack is used. It's obvious Angelina knows what she's doing." Steven spoke up.

Basil crashed into one Gastly and sent it spiraling into the wall.

"Basil, wrap this up with a spinning Vine Whip!" Angelina ordered.

"Chika," From her bud necklace, two green vines sprouted like a couple of whips; Basil pivoted on one leg while spinning around in a circle, allowing her vine whips to deliver a harsh trial of smacks to each Gastly.

"Ga-gastly!" "Gastly—" They turned-tail and floated down the tunnel in the opposite direction.

"Chicken!" "Chika!" Angelina and Basil stuck out their tongues.

"C'mon, let's go." Drew said.

"Right, C'mon Basil."

"Chikori!" Basil clambered up to Angelina's shoulder as she walked up. When she passed Drew, Chocolate leapt onto her other shoulder out of jealousy.

The torch-lit tunnel finally came to an end and yielded a bright room. The very walls of the circular room were made up of different colored stones. In the middle was a rocky, spiraling stair case pillar. There was a hole at the top of the room that allowed the sun to shine through; the light reflected off of the stones in the wall, lighting the room with many colors.

"Whoaaa…." The kids said breathlessly.

"It's so beautiful!" Christina complimented.

They walked in and all split up to examine different areas. Christina and Jeremy knelt by a deep puddle that contained some clear blue stones with white bubble patterns inside.

Drew and Steven were admiring yellow stones with lightning bolts in the inside on the wall. The high wall was made up of orange sun-shaped rocks—the only ones that didn't reflect a color by the sun.

Angelina gazed at the side of the pillar, which was kindly decorated with light fuchsia stones that had yellow crescents inside. She barely realized her curiosity moving her feet up the narrow stairway. Higher she scaled, just itching to find out what resided at the top.

"I've never seen so many evolution stones in my life." Steven said.

"I've never seen an evolution stone **ever**." Drew pulled the earthy-looking stone from the wall and examined it, "This is a Leaf Stone, isn't it?"

"Precisely," Steven said.

Angelina continued to climb up the spiraling pillar. The stones on the sides started to slowly change from the light fuchsia rocks, to flaming red ones. When she reached the top, it was bare except a glowing object standing upright. It was blue and star-shaped and sat there lonely. **'Wonder what that is.'** Angelina thought to herself. Her first instinct was to reach and grab it, even though she knew better than to. It was different than any other stone in the room. Maybe it was used for a specific Pokemon to evolve. Angelina grasped the object with both hands mindlessly, holding it up. She half-expected the room to start shaking or fall to pieces. After all, traps did seam to be the theme of the cave ruins.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Ah, fresh air at last." Angelina stretched as she, Chocolate, Jeremy, Drew, Christina and Steven found their way out of the cave.

The sun greeted them harshly in the eyes, but they were thankful to be back outside.

Angelina took a look out and smiled; they were standing on a hill that oversaw just a little bit of forest between them and Dewford Town.

"If you stick to the forest trail, you should get to Dewford Town." Steven told them. "I can't thank you enough for helping me, Murakami."

"Don't worry; I've got it covered." Angelina smiled, concealing one of the yellow Thunderstones' behind her back. She felt a little bad about taking it, but what was one rock between new friends?

The four turned and waved goodbye as they walked towards the forest.

"We'll meet again someday—count on it!" Steven called.

As our heroes walk away, they've made new friends and gained new experiences. But what's Angelina going to do with that Thunderstone? See ya next time!

**§To Be Continued§**

In this chapter, Angelina and friends arrive on Dewford Island and run into Steven at Granite Cave. The only difference is that there's no letter-delivering and I'm not entirely sure what I'll have Angelina use the Thunderstone for. So I should have the next chapter up soon! Thanks for reading!


	13. Brawly Encounter

Thanks for the reviews; I have plans for that Thunderstone in another later chapter! For now, here's this one! I don't own Pokemon except for my characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 13: Brawly Encounter**

Last time, our heroes were walking from the ruins of Granite Cave and into the bustling Dewford Town. Now, Angelina hopes to earn her second gym badge and her next step to the Hoenn League.

The sound of slurping filled Jeremy's, Christina's, and Drew's ears as they walked down the sidewalk of Dewford Town. The sun was high in the sky as it beamed down on the tree decorations and lampposts.

Angelina had a small bowl of Chanpon noodles in her hand and was slurping it up with a pair of black chopsticks. Chocolate, who was laying over her shoulder, crunched lightly on a large fried dumpling.

"This food is pretty good. Maybe we should go back and get some more." Angelina smiled.

"Angel, that's your sixth bowl since we left that restaurant. Do you **have** to hurt my stomach so early in the day?" Drew stated.

"Besides, don't you have a gym match to be worried about?" Jeremy asked. "From what I've heard, the Gym Leader is pretty tough."

"Relax, Jeremy; remember that Pokemon battles take a backseat to hunger." Angelina smiled with her cheeks puffing a bit from the noodles she just stuffed in her mouth. "I'll defeat the Gym Leader with both power and grace—" If only she had been paying attention to the sidewalk instead of her bowl; from out of nowhere, a ball rolled out onto the asphalt.

**Tweep!!!** It squeaked as Angelina's feet landed on it.

"Whoa…." Angelina felt her body teeter back and forth, but didn't dare drop her bowl. She and Chocolate crashed to the ground with a thud, holding up their food to protect it rather than their faces.

"Oooo…." Jeremy, Drew, and Christina blinked at them.

"Yeah, Angel, that's real graceful." Jeremy said.

"Oops, I'm sorry, Miss." A little brown-haired kid came over to scoop up his ball.

"Pika," "It's quite alright." Angelina and Chocolate sat up. She sat cross-legged and Chocolate climbed up to her trainer's shoulder, finishing the rest of her dumpling greedily.

The kid bowed and scampered off.

Angelina's eyes darted left to right for a second before she quickly swallowed his bowl of noodles—she couldn't risk anything else happening to her food.

"Hiyaa—" _**BANG-BUFF!**_ "Hiyaaa—" _**BUFF-BANG!**_

A series of shouts and strikes carried down the street. To the left of the hero trio was a training hall with many glass windows. The inside yielded punching bags hanging from the ceiling like vines and weights were stacked all over. In the middle, visible from the glass doors, was a large fighting ring.

"Kiyaa—" _**BUFF-BUFF!!**_ The sounds jumped again.

At one of the punching bags, someone and his Pokemon were striking it with rapid and harsh blows. The Pokemon was pudgy—kind of like a very petite sumo wrestler—with red cheeks, black fists, and a knot tied on its head. It was as yellow as the sun and, by the looks of it, nearly all muscle.

The person standing next to it had long, spiky sea-foam blue hair and blue eyes. He was wearing an orange shirt, blue pants, and black sandals.

"Hey, what kind of Pokemon is that?" Angelina jumped to her feet in fascination and started across the street.

"Angel, wait, you can't just run up to people like that!" Jeremy shouted and they ran after her.

"Angel, hold it!" Drew grabbing at Angelina's arm once they got to the other sidewalk.

"Geeze, Drew; I'm taking a look at the Pokemon, not stealing it." Angelina said. She, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew pushed through the glass doors and stepped in.

"That's the way, Makuhita! Give it another Mega Punch!" The trainer from the window exclaimed.

"Makuu—" The yellow Poke'mon drew back its fist, then brought it forward heavily, "—hitaaa!"

_**BUFF!! **_The room rattled a little at the force of the strike.

"Oh, wow; now **that's** power!" Christina complimented.

"He's using a Makuhita," Jeremy said.

Angelina pulled her Pokedex from her pocket and opened it up.

"_**Makuhita, the Guts Pokemon. Makuhita trains everyday of its life, hardly ever ceasing for any reason. It eats a large, yet healthy diet to pack on weight for its strong body. This Pokemon is all about physical strength and fitness as it always strives to better itself." **_

"Huh?" The guy with the sea-foam hair became alert and glanced back. His eyes fell on Chocolate and a smile spread on his face. Suddenly, he dashed up to the duo and snatched Chocolate right off of Angelina's shoulder.

"Hey! You can't just grab my Pokemon!" Angelina shouted, causing a couple of heads to turn their direction. "Who do you think you are, anyway?!" she growled.

"Oh, please forgive me, but I couldn't help but notice your Pikachu." the guy said as Chocolate was really too taken aback to actually do anything. "She's so well-kept and her color shows she's really strong and healthy. It's a wonder why she doesn't evolve. Do you have a special diet for her?"

"As a matter of fact—" Angelina snatched Chocolate back into her arms, "—I make my own Pokemon food. Cheap imitations for a Pokemon diet don't guarantee the best results."

"By the way, my name is Brawly." the guy held out his hand.

"Oh, spare—" Quickly, Jeremy and Drew clasped their hands around Angelina's mouth. It was clear Angelina was about to blow up and they couldn't let her do that with all those people watching.

"Her name is Angelina, I'm Jeremy, this is Drew, and that's Christina." Jeremy said hastily and Drew and Christina nodded in agreement.

"Nice to meet you." Brawly shook their hands.

"Maku-maku," Makuhita walked over and tugged at Brawly's shorts.

"Oh, and this is my partner Pokemon, Makuhita." Brawly introduced and Makuhita flexed its muscles. "How about a battle? Either one of you four against my Makuhita."

"Hmph!" Angelina pulled her two friends out of her way and stepped up. "Fine, I accept your challenge!" she said loudly.

"Hey, everybody, someone's gonna' battle with the gym leader!" Someone shouted.

"Fight Brawly?" "Let us see!" In no time at all, a crowd had developed around Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, Christina, and Brawly. They were shouting and making loud cheering noises.

"You mean **you're** the Gym Leader here?" Jeremy asked and Brawly nodded.

Angelina just growled under her breath.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Angelina and Brawly stepped into the stadium ring in the middle of the training hall. The crowd _**(along with Jeremy, Christina, and Drew) **_huddled close, but not too close as to get hit during the battle.

"This will be an official gym match." Brawly spoke up and the crowd fell silent. "The challenger, Angelina, will be competing for this—" He held up a silvery badge that looked like a boxing glove, "—the Knuckle badge. Is a one-on-one fine with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Angelina said.

The two trainer's stared at each other, one with anger and the other with excitement. Their Pokemon stood beside them, ready to be called out. The ding of a bell sounded for the start of the battle.

"Go, Chocolate!"

"Pika-chu!" Chocolate leapt into the ring, her expression going serious.

"Take 'em, Makuhita!" Brawly pointed.

"Maku-Maku!" Makuhita faced its opponent, flexing its muscles.

The two Pokemon growled at each other while awaiting their trainer's orders.

"Brawly, Brawly, he's our man—if he can't do it, no one can!" A group of girls cheered and Brawly grinned.

"I'll wipe that grin off your face," Angelina growled, "Chocolate, Quick Attack!"

"Piiiii!" Chocolate skated into the air at quick speed and launched her body at Brawly's Pokemon. But instead of giving a counter-order, Brawly just ran his hand through his sea-foam hair.

"Ma—" Makuhita stuck out its thick belly; Pikachu crashed into it, but was bounced off.

"That's some thick fat." Jeremy said.

"Both fat **and** muscle." Drew corrected.

"Errr…." Angelina growled, "Chocolate, Secret Power!"

Chocolate took in a deep breath, glowing white and released a stream of goldish-silver balls from her mouth.

"Makuhita, use your Bulk up!" Brawly exclaimed, a bit more serious now.

"Maku-hita!" Makuhita tensed its body up, clenching its teeth; the goldish-silver balls reflected off of its belly, only allowing the pressure to shake it up a bit.

Angelina took a shocked step back. **'That's twice Makuhita's Bulk up has blocked Chocolate's attack! How do I defeat someone who stresses such an impervious defense?'** She thought to herself.

"Pika," Chocolate gulped. She was beginning to sense her trainer's nervousness and, in turn, became nervous herself.

"We're not gonna' give up. Use your Secret Power again!" Angelina ordered.

"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu glowed and spat up another stream of goldish-silver balls.

"Nice try, but not good enough." Brawly said, then pointed to Pikachu. "Makuhita, dodge and use Karate Chop!" Makuhita's footwork was swift and flawless; it easily bobbed and weaved around the Secret Power attack, closing the distance between it and its opponent. It rose a fist and started swinging furiously, forcing Chocolate to do a weird dance in order to narrowly evade.

'**How can something with so much fat move so fast?!'** Angelina thought in disbelief. Once again, her breath was caught in her throat. Her brain wouldn't work and kept her from finding any possible way out of this mess.

"Brawly has trained his Makuhita good," Jeremy stated to sweat, "Despite its heavy weight, it still moves flawlessly and effortlessly."

Drew looked at the expression on Angelina's face. She looked as if she was confused, angry, and a little scared all at once. "Jeremy, do you think Angel can make this work?" Drew asked in concern.

"I don't know; Chocolate is doing her best just to dodge, but Makuhita keeps coming back with more and more energy." Jeremy said, watching Chocolate start to tire and slow down.

"Makuhita, take her down now!" Brawly exclaimed.

"Maku!" _**WHOOSH-BANG!! **_Makuhita's chop attack crashed harshly into Pikachu's shoulder, sending her flying.

"Oh—" Angelina gasped, "Chocolate!"

In mid-air, Chocolate opened her eyes and corrected herself to land on her paws. She panted a little as she stared down her opponent.

'…**.I have to find a way to trick Makuhita…. oh-I got it! Makuhita's probably all muscle and no brain because its just been tossing attacks over and over. If that's the case….' **Angelina grinned at her idea. "Chocolate, can you use your Double Team?"

"Pi," Chocolate nodded to her. "Pi-Pikachu!" Her body blinked before creating multiple images of herself, encircling around Makuhita.

"Ha! Let's see if you can get through that." Angelina said with a bit more confidence.

"We'll counter," Brawly closed his eyes, "With Meditate!"

"Makuhita!" Makuhita took a breath in; when it let it out, its body became relaxed and loose. It used its senses to concentrate deeply on its battle. In this state, it could easily react to anything its opponent threw at it.

"Now, Makuhita, it's time for this to end!"

"Hita-Hita!" Makuhita toe-jumped to the left and spotted the real Chocolate.

"Pikaaa!" Chocolate shrieked, sweating.

"Toxic—quick!" Angelina said rather hurridly.

Chocolate opened her mouth and made a gurgling sound as a blast of purple (and poisonous) liquid fired.

However, the attack was neutralized by Makuhita's thick fat, posing no threat at all.

"Body Slam!" Brawly went in for the finish.

Like a shadow, Makuhita's body hovered over Chocolate. She was so afraid that her copies vanished without a trace. There was a sudden rush of wind and the thick Pokemon dropped its body on her.

"PIIIIIII!!" Chocolate shrieked in pain.

"That's ENOUGH!" A few tears flew from Angelina's eyes as she ran into the ring. She fell to her knees and cradled her hurt Pokemon in her arms. "I forfeit; you win." she said.

Brawly didn't smile, but gave the young girl an approving look. "You're a good trainer, Angelina. If you would've kept going on, your Pikachu may have be seriously injured." He told her.

Angelina sat in one of the chairs inside the Pokemon Center beside Jeremy, Drew, and Christina. She stared at the ground with shaking eyes. Her mind would only let her reflect on how much damage Chocolate took in her crushing defeat.

"Its okay, Angel; it's not like you're expected to win every battle." Jeremy tried to comfort her. Unfortunately, it did more damage than help.

"We were totally over-powered." Angelina clenched her fists. "How can we stand up to that much power?" 'How' indeed. She needed a way to beat Makuhita's thick body. Surely if she had a flying or psychic-type Pokemon, the battle would've been easier.

The doors to the ER opened up and Nurse Joy came walking out. Chocolate was curled up in her arms, resting lightly.

"Chocolate!" A smile spread on Angelina's face as she ran up to Nurse Joy.

Chocolate perked up and got to her feet abruptly. "Pikachu!" she squeaked happily, jumping into her trainer's arms and licking her all over the face.

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy." Angelina said.

"You're welcome; your Pikachu was more exhausted than hurt." Nurse Joy told her.

The doors of the Pokemon Center slid open and the hero quartet stepped out into the sunshine. Angelina was staring at the ground; Her friends and Pokemon were looking at her with very concerned looks. No one really said anything for lack of a good conversation. Drew, Jeremy, and Christina didn't want to say anything that would upset the young Master.

"….Maybe you should try another gym." Jeremy finally suggested.

"Not a chance," Angelina clenched her fists and held them up. Inside of her eyes, the flame of determination burned dangerously.

Chocolate felt a hot-cold tingle flow through her body and she closed her eyes as her cheeks went pink. Angelina's determination was one of the many things she admired about her trainer.

"We'll find a way to defeat Brawly, mark my word."

The sun that was once high in the sky was now sinking towards the horizon. Instead, the sky was painted with orange, crimson, and yellow.

Surprisingly, Brawly was still training in his gym with Makuhita. His "fan club" hung around him, some watching and some working out.

_**DOOSH—BANG! **_"Brawly!" Angelina burst into the doors of the gym with her friends behind her. She and Chocolate were both sporting determined looks.

Everyone in the gym suddenly averted their attention, including the gym leader.

"That last battle was just a warm up. Now, the real fight will begin! This time, I'll win the Knuckle Badge from you." Angelina exclaimed.

"Pika-pikachu!" Chocolate agreed.

"Tech! Confident, aren't you, Angelina?" Brawly walked away from the punching bag that he and Makuhita were using. "You're counting the prize money before the battle has begun. But if you want a repeat of earlier, I'll be glad to hand that to you."

"We'll see about that."

Angelina and Brawly faced each other in the ring. With her new secret weapon in hand, Angelina was confident she would win.

"Are you gonna' win this time?" Brawly asked, "What have you done to get stronger?"

"You'll see," Angelina grinned.

The crowd had crowded around like they did before, chanting their cheers for Brawly.

A man in a striped shirt stepped to the side of the ring, holding two different colored flags. "This'll be an official Pokemon gym battle. Only two Pokemon will be used and only the challenger is allowed a substitute." He said. He looked to the two trainers to make sure they understood the rules. Clearing his throat, he raised both flags over his head, "Then let the battle begin."

"Machop, I choose you!" Brawly threw a pokeball to the ground and it burst open. The Pokemon looked as if it were made of nothing except bone and blue muscles. Its eyes were red and it had three yellow ridges crowning its head.

"A Machop, eh? Then—" Angelina took a Pokeball from her belt, "—I choose Basil!" She threw it and her Chikorita burst out.

"Chikori!" _**BANG-CLENCH!**_ Basil crashed into her chest and clenched her arm, smiling as she staggered a little.

"JUMP HIM, NOT ME!!!" Angelina shouted and Basil sweated anime style.

"Now, use your Razor Leaf!"

"Chika-Chika-Chika!" the grass Pokemon spun her head-leaf rapidly and an arsenal of razor-sharp leaves cut through the air.

"Machop, use Karate Chop!" Brawly ran his had through his hair.

"Macho-chooo!" Machop raced up with its arms ready; it swung its hands and broke each leaf that came its way.

"Chika?" "Ah!" Angelina and Basil took a shocked step back.

"When are you gonna' learn that I can see through anything you throw?" Brawly asked.

In response, Angelina just let out a growl. "Chikorita, use your Petal Dance attack!"

"Chika!" Basil stood up on one of her hind feet, balanced deftly; she spun around, slowly at first, but with increasing speed. A pink powder drifted from her head-leaf before an entire battalion of pink petals blasted around.

The crowd marveled at the spectacle that would've made an excellent contest move.

"Defend with Bulk Up!" Brawly said, his face now going serious.

"Machoopp!" Machop raised its fists and pumped its muscles up tensely.

The flying petals bounced off its body like pebbles to metal armor.

"It's not working Basil, use—uh-oh!" Angelina watched her Chikorita slow down in her spinning. However, her eyes were still spinning and she found it difficult to stand up straight. "Ack! I forgot Petal Dance leaves you dizzy after it's used."

"A mistake that'll cost you. Machop, Mega Punch!" Brawly said.

Machop drew back its fist and it started to glow as it dashed up to its opponent.

"Basil, if you can, please jump as high as your body will allow." Angelina stated.

Still dizzy, Basil leapt up and narrowly escaped the attack; Machop's Mega Punch grazed Basil's body. The searing pain snapped her out of her confusion.

'_**I have to find out a way to end this fight.'**_ Angelina thought to herself, _**'Maybe Basil could break Machop's defense with a slam or something—'**_

"Machop, use Headbutt!"

"Machoooop!" Machop flung itself through the air like a bullet with its head lowered.

"Now, Vine Whip!"

"Chika-Chika!" Two vines launched from Basil's necklace and wrapped around Machop's body tightly.

"Machop!" "Huh?!" Machop and Brawly both shrieked and broke into a sweat.

"Slam 'em down!" Angelina stated.

Basil swung Machop around the ring before rushing it towards the ground. The wind blew harshly in its face as it crashed to the floor.

"Yeah!" Angelina jumped, but Brawly frowned.

"M-m-machop," Machop got shakily to its feet.

Basil's vines still posed a binding threat around its waists.

'_**Machop took a lot of damage.'**_ Brawly thought, _**'However,'**_ His eyes glanced over to Basil. She was panting heavily and struggled to keep her grip around her opponent. It was only a matter of time before she collapsed. _**'Angelina's Pokemon threw around too much energy and got tired faster. I'll use that to my advantage.'**_

"Machop, real her in and use Seismic Toss!"

"Machop-ma-machop!" Machop grasped its bindings and pulled as hard as it could. Basil tried to overpower the attack, but when she was close enough, it grasped her legs tightly, it jumped up into the air with a great force and ferocity.

"Basil!" Angelina cried.

As she went up, Basil struggled to break free, but the muscular Pokemon didn't slacken in the least.

Machop nearly touched the high ceiling, turned in mid-air, and plummeted back towards the ground. "Maaaa—" It grabbed one of Basil's front legs, "—Chooooppppp!"

Basil was hurled powerfully back to earth. There was nothing Angelina could do, except watch her near the ground with every beat of her crazy heart.

_**BAAAMMMM! **_"Uhn!" Basil bounced a little at her worse than cruel landing.

"Basil, oh-no!" Angelina ran into the ring without thinking. Her Pokemon's eyes were half closed, which meant she still had consciousness about her. But for how long was what worried her the most.

"Chikorita is unable to battle. Machop is the winner." The referee held up a green flag in Brawly's direction.

"You did a great job, Basil." Angelina stroked her Pokemon's side gingerly and she used the remainder of her strength to purr lightly. "Return," she called her back to her Pokeball.

This was bad; now her badge was riding on one Pokemon—and her secret weapon. "Go, Chocolate!" Angelina jumped back to her spot by the ring and Chocolate leapt to face Machop.

"Begin!"

"Machop, Low Kick!" Brawly started out.

At this, Angelina grinned—Brawly had made mistake number one. "Chocolate, use Metronome!"

"Pika!" Chocolate swung her tiny paws from left to right for a few minutes; suddenly glowing and lowering her paws. Then blasting water from her mouth right at the running Machop's feet.

The muscular Pokemon staggered in its attack, flew up a bit, then slammed to the ground on its back hard. "Ma-ack!" It coughed.

"What the—" Brawly blinked.

By now, the battle was too intense for the audience to even speak.

"It's too weak now. Finish this with another Metronome!"

As Chocolate used her Metronome attack, Machop was too weak to use its Bulk Up and was stricken by a fierce stream of glowing bubbles, exploding upon contact.

"Ma," Machop's eyes swirled dizzily.

"Machop is unable to battle. Pikachu is the winner." The referee held up a red flag on Angelina's side.

"Good match, Machop. Return now," Brawly returned Machop to its Pokeball. "You're up, Makuhita."

"Maku-maku!" Makuhita stepped into the ring, punching its fists together.

The two Pokemon gave each other a competitive stare.

"Begin!" The referee stated and a bell sounded.

"This is for the win, Chocolate. Use Hidden Power!" Angelina exclaimed and Chocolate bulleted her Hidden Power attack.

"Maku!" Makuhita poked out its stomach, using its bulk to contain the blast of the attack.

"Ugn, no good." Angelina snapped her fingers.** 'I have to get close to it.'** "Chocolate, speedy Quick Attack!"

"Chu!" Chocolate sprinted across the ring as fast as she could. She was going so fast that a white streak followed behind her body.

"Makuhita, counter with your Tackle!"

"Maku-Maku!" Makuhita used its lightning speed to throw its Tackle attack. There was a flash for each time the Pokemon crashed into each other.

"I don't know what your strategy is, Angelina, but it doesn't look like you've changed much." Brawly said.

"Maybe so; you let me worry about that." Angelina told him.

"Submission, Makuhita!"

Makuhita waited until it made another stalemate with Chocolate and grasped her about the waist.

"Pi!" Chocolate blinked.

The thick Pokemon started to spin very rapidly. The longer it kept its grip on her, the faster it spun in place.

"Piiiiiiiiii!" Chocolate wailed dizzily.

'_**Hang in there, Chocolate.'**_ Angelina started to sweat.

Makuhita spun Chocolate onto the ground and teetered back from its opponent's crashed landing.

"Chuu," Chocolate shook her head.

"Hey Chocolate, are you alright?" Angelina called.

Chocolate nodded, but wasn't really sure if it was the truth.

"Cool, give your Metronome another go!" Chocolate swung her paws from side to side for a few minutes, then opened her mouth and blew out a stream-like of bubbles.

"Bulk Up!" Brawly defended.

"Makuhita!" Makuhita tensed its body up as the bubbles popped along its stomach.

"That's what we've been waiting for!" Angelina exclaimed. "Go Chocolate, Rock Smash!"

"Rock Smash!?" Brawly shrieked.

"Piiiiichuuuuu!" Chocolate jumped up to soar over confused-looking Makuhita. She then flipped to her back to bring her tail forcefully down; it crashed into Makuhita and caused it to stagger.

"So that's why Angelina taught her Pikachu Rock Smash." Drew exclaimed.

"Yeah," Jeremy said. "The force of the attack puts way too much stress on Makuhita's Bulk Up."

"Go Chocolate! Keep using Rock Smash!" Angelina shouted.

"Pikachuuu!" Chocolate repeatedly swung her tail at Makuhita. Every time she hit the ground, a crack issued in the spot she struck.

"Maku, Maku, Maku—" Makuhita broke into a sweat as it moved backwards, dodging left and right, from Pikachu's onslaught.

"Uh-oh, Makuhita's in trouble!" Brawly looked like he was a little taken by surprise and Angelina and Chocolate's tactic. "Makuhita, grab her tail and use Submission."

Chocolate's tail came down swiftly, but Makuhita was still able to catch her, entering another spinning Submission. "Piiiiiii! Pikaaaaaa!" In a defensive reflex, Chocolate burst into a swirl of electricity. Makuhita's grip slipped and it released its prisoner.

"Good job; use Rock Smash again!" Angelina's voice rang followed by Chocolate soaring through the air.

By now, Makuhita was panting—the battle couldn't go on much longer and both trainers knew that.

"We only have one chance left. Focus Punch!" Brawly shouted desperately.

"Maku—" Makuhita drew back its fist and concentrated hard. It focused on channeling the remainder of its strength into that one last punch.

The entire battle was riding on the clash of two final attacks. Jeremy, Drew, Christina and the rest of the crowd were standing on edge.

"HITA!"

"PIKAAAA!"

_**KABOOOM! **_There was a loud explosion of power and a dust storm kicked up violently.

"Ack!" "Dah!" "Ahhh!" Everyone shielded their eyes from the dirt. A force of wind whipped all around their bodies. The dust cloud finally subsided and the ring became visible once again.

"Huh…." Angelina opened her eyes.

Both Chocolate and Makuhita were still on their feet. They were both staring each other down and panting heavily.

"They're **still** standing?" Jeremy gasped.

"….Makuhita…." Brawly breathed.

Both Pokemon were determined to see the battle to the end. As long as they were still standing, they were still fighting. Their bodies were terribly tired and nicked with cuts and scratches.

"….Maku," Suddenly, Makuhita's feet gave away and it plopped to the ground.

"Oh-no, Makuhita!" Brawly gasped.

"Makuhita is unable to battle. This match goes to Angelina Murakami." The referee stated.

"We did it! We beat Brawly!" Angelina rushed up to her Pikachu and took her in her arms. "You're just too much. Excellent job, Chocolate!"

"Pikachu," the electric mouse smiled weakly.

"You put up a good fight, Makuhita." Brawly returned his exhausted Pokemon to its Pokeball. "I guess I underestimated you, Angelina." He said as he walked up to Angelina. "You demonstrated both determination and skill. You and your Pokemon deserve this." He held out the Knuckle Badge and Angelina took it up; shiny blue and shaped into a punching glove, it was holding a small rounded orange jewel.

"Thank you," A wide grin spread on Angelina's face and she started to jump repeatedly in her excitement. She brandished her new treasure for all to see. Her friends and even the crowd clapped hard at her victory.

Brawly grinned, _**'That girl is gonna' do something special for us all one day. Good luck on your Pokemon quest…. Angelina Murakami.'**_ He thought.

"Oh-yeah! This is our second step towards victory!!" Angelina shouted.

"Yay, you won!" "Great job, Angel!" "You three were awesome!" Jeremy, Christina, and Drew comforted their friend, they patted her on the back with giddy grins.

As challenges for Angelina grow harder, she always grows stronger. It's just living proof how far determination and perseverance can take you.

**BING, BING, BING-BING-BING!!!** Angelina's ears perked up at the chimes of the Pokemon Center. She yawned out of her sleep and sat up. She, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew had fallen asleep; leaning on each other's shoulders. Chocolate and Basil were in the ER and have been for a while; the doors to the emergency room opened up and Nurse Joy came walking out.

Chocolate and Basil were sitting on a tray, sporting a bandage on their tails and cheeks.

"AH!" Angelina gave a wide smile and ran up to them, "Hey! Basil, Chocolate!"

"Chika!" "Pikachu!" The two Pokemon leapt on Angelina's shoulders and started licking her face.

"I'm so glad to see you're all right." Angelina giggled.

_**CLACK!! **_"Oooch!" The sharp clacking sound woke Jeremy, Drew, and Christina abruptly. Nurse Joy had brought a plastic fan down on Angelina's head harshly.

"What was that for?" Angelina asked, rubbing her head.

"You should be ashamed of yourself to let your Pokemon get so injured. Learn to take better care of them." Nurse Joy scolded her.

"I'm so sorry—just don't hit me anymore." Angelina said.

Jeremy, Christina, and Drew walked up to up to her in a yawn as Nurse Joy went back behind the counter.

"The sun's going down; we should rent a room for the night." Angelina suggested.

"Are you **kidding**? We still have some light left and should use it all."

"But the ferry doesn't leave till tomorrow—"

"You worry way too much!" Drew and Jeremy put an arm around Angelina's shoulders. She started to sweat anime style, giving them one of her usual worried expressions.

"You need to learn and live a little." Jeremy gave her a guide book of Dewford Island and flipped through some of the pages. It was no mere coincidence when he stopped on a page full of shopping advertisements.

Immediately, Angelina's eyes beamed in delight. "Gimme' that!" She snatched the book from him greedily and started flipping the pages.

"She's so easy to please, that she is." Drew stated as he and Jeremy sweated anime style. Now the both of them knew that giving Angelina keys to shopping was a big mistake on anyone's part; abruptly, Angelina grasped them by the arms and pulled them out through the threshold with Christina happily following behind.

"What're you two waiting for? Let's go!"

"Angelina—!" "Stop—!" "Hold your Horsea—" "Or at least let go of us!!"

Drew, Jeremy, and Chocolate let out a sigh. They were standing by a large, glittering fountain in the middle of Dewford Plaza. Angelina and Christina had dragged them all over town into so many different clothing and jewelry stores, yet only had one bag to show for it.

"I'm starting to regret ever showing you that stupid book." Jeremy complained.

"Not one of our best plans…. us and our big mouths; at least if we would've stayed at the Pokemon Center, we would've gotten something good to eat." Drew said.

The sun was completely gone now and the sky surrendered to the night. Dewford Town became wired and alive like a city as the four trainers enjoy their last evening on the island before they continue onward to their next adventure.

**§To Be Continued§**

Angelina taught her Pikachu the Rock Smash attack and earns her second Hoenn badge! Thanks for reading, and I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	14. All Ghosts Aboard

Back again! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my characters, enjoy!

**Chapter 14: All Ghosts Aboard**

The loud sound of a boat horn bellowed into the air loudly. Flocks of Wingull and Pidgey that were startled soared through the sky. The sun is up, the people are busy, and the boats are ready to depart…. Ready to part? Where's Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina?

Angelina was sleeping peacefully as she lay at the edge of her bed. The ordeal she went through had totally wiped her out and she was enjoying some refreshing _**"R"**_ and _**"R"**_. Chocolate slept just as calmly as her trainer; Jeremy, Drew, and Christina slept orderly also.

_**FWOOOM!!**_ The bellow of another boat whistle shattered into Angelina's dreams and she fell out of bed. "Ohaa…." She sat up and rubbed her head sleepily.

Chocolate was upside down on the floor, but still snoozing. Angelina glanced over at the clock while her sight adjusted a little. When she noticed that the numbers weren't all that clear to her, she held the object closer to her face. "….Whaaaa!! Guys, we're late!" she shouted. Jeremy, Drew, and Christina awoke with sharp yelps.

Angelina, Jeremy, Christina and Drew rushed down the sidewalk in a mad hurry. A piece of toast was flying from Drew's mouth as he ran.

"Angel, why didn't you wake us up? You _**did**_ set the alarm clock, didn't you?" Jeremy shouted.

"Hey, don't blame me; it's not my fault we're late!" Angelina turned, yelling.

"Angel, watch out!"

Suddenly, Angelina faced front just in time to see herself crash head-first into a pole.

_**BIIINGG!**_

"Pika!" Chocolate leapt onto the ground just before the collision.

Angelina's eyes spun around and around dizzily. "Somebody.… turn the lights back on.…" she babbled.

"Angel, are you all right?" Jeremy went to help her up. Drew was concerned, but his breakfast kept him from saying a word.

"Pika?" Chocolate jumped into her trainer's lap, giving her a concerned look.

"Don't worry; my ears'll quit ringing shortly." Angelina smiled at them. She massaged Chocolate's cheek _**(which made her tail wag wildly)**_.

"Great! What were you thinking, Angelina Murakami?! Do you realize that you could've been hurt? What an idea to space off like that!" Jeremy continued on, but Angelina blocked him out. Instead, she was much more interested in the watch on her wrist. It was about a quarter to nine exactly. At this, she gave a shocked gasp that caused some of the strands of her hair to stand on end.

"Oh no! we're gonna miss the ferry!" Angelina jumped up abruptly and swiftly.

Jeremy, Drew, Christina, and Chocolate were taken aback by this.

"We don't have time to waste. It's time for a team rush!" Angelina grabbed her friends by the arms and literally lifted them off their feet as she darted down the sidewalk.

"Whawawhawaaaa!" Jeremy's, Drew's, and Christina's voices rumbled.

To prevent himself from being thrown off, Chocolate crawled inside of Angelina's backpack.

People were pushed aside while Angelina dashed through. **'We can make it! We can make it!'** she thought to herself.

_**FWOOOOMM!!**_ Another boat horn bellowed into the air as it left the salty-aired docks. The last boat left from the harbor into the sparkling sea. All that remained was the crashing of waves and the caws of fluttering Wingull.

Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew stood at the edge of the docks, sweating anime style.

"I guess we didn't make it." Angelina sighed.

"Well, this wouldn't have happen if _**someone**_ didn't oversleep, we would've made-it-on-time!" "Are you saying it's _**my**_ fault we missed the ferry?" Jeremy and Angelina butted heads. "It's exactly what it sounds like—"

"Am I the only one who thinks this is pointless?" Drew asked; Christina giggled.

"STAY OUT OF IT!" the two snapped and Drew's eyebrow twitched, "You're nuts!"

They seemed to be better off at giving up for the time being; it wasn't as if another boat wouldn't come.

"Ahoy there, guys. Long time, no see, eh?"

Angelina and Jeremy wheeled around with their fists still clinched. They were so busy fighting that they failed to notice that there was still one boat left in the harbor.

"You didn't think I was going to forget to repay my debt, did you?" The wily old man at the top waved.

"Hey, it's Mr. Briney," Angelina blinked at first to make sure it wasn't just wishful thinking.

"How's it going, old man!?" Jeremy waved at him.

"Wingull! Wingull!" A Wingull fluttered onto Mr. Briney's shoulder, cawing.

"Hello there, Peeko!" Christina shouted up and Wingull gave a happy screech.

"Don't just stand there; are ya' coming aboard or what?"

The ramp leading off the side of the ship slowly lowered itself, attaching onto a nearby dock.

"It's about time." Mr. Briney said after they were aboard, "I've been waiting here for hours."

The ramp to the boat slid up again in a smooth, but sluggish motion. At the same time, the anchor clanked in its own rise. The boat gave a heavy blow and the waves carried it away.

Angelina sat on the side rail of the speeding boat, allowing the wind to blow her hair wildly. Chocolate was planted firmly on her shoulder, resting in the breeze. Even Angelina had to admit she was a bit lazy.

Jeremy, Drew, and Christina decided to be a lot safer and watched from the safety of the deck.

"So, where am I taking you four?" Mr. Briney asked.

"We're trying to get to Mauville City." Jeremy answered up to him.

"Then I'll drop you off at Slateport Harbor. While your there, you should really kick back and check out the beach. It's a good spot for a beach vacation." Mr. Briney said.

"Where's Sogen?" Christina decided she'd walk up the steps to the wheel.

"I couldn't tell you. One day, he and Sentret just packed up and left. I assume they went to continue their Pokemon journey." Mr. Briney told her.

At that, Angelina reached into her bag and pulled out the Poke-Sphere. Maybe now, she could start to actually read it. He flipped through the yellow pages carefully, but briskly. "Hmmm…." She gazed at the pictures of different Pokemon. _**SPLAT!!**_ A couple drops of water splattered onto the Poke-Sphere and she snapped it shut to avoid damage.

"Were those rain drops!?" Angelina asked.

"Pika?" Chocolate opened her eyes sleepily.

"That looks bad.…" Jeremy pointed up at the air. A large sea of black cumulonimbus clouds hovered into the sky as if they appeared out of nowhere. They flashed with the threat of on-coming rain.

"Awww…where did those clouds come from, anyway? There went my vacation." Drew folded his arms.

Mr. Briney looked into the sky with a suspicious expression. There hadn't been any clouds in the sky when they left the harbor, so where did they come from?

"Something isn't right here. You kids should get into the cabin!" Mr. Briney shouted.

Angelina, Jeremy, Drew, and Christina took the steps to the lower portion of the deck. At the end of the short corridor was a white door with a circular window (typical ship stuff). They pushed through and into the small cabin room. The winds picked up more strength and speed as it forced waves to stir along the water. The S.S. Peeko rocked back and forth forcefully. A rage of water droplets started to fall from the sky. Mr. Briney fought hard to keep the wheel in his control. However, the sea toyed with the S.S. Peeko by tossing and spinning it.

"Whaaaaa!!" Angelina used her black rose-shaped staff to keep herself grounded; but Drew, Jeremy, and Christina flew all over the cabin floor each time the boat rocked. "Whaaaa!" They slid again.

Drew put his hands over his mouth; his face was starting to turn a little pale. "Guys, I don't think I feel too good." He said groggily, his eyes rocking with the wayward movements of the boat.

"Don't you toss anything until we're off this stupid boat!" Christina shouted.

"Does he even have a choice in the matter?" Angelina blinked.

"Now's **definitely not** the time for jokes!" Drew's voice was muffled by his hands.

Back on the deck, Mr. Briney fought over the wheel against the wind and the sea, but to no avail; the forces of nature pulled the boat away from his grasp. "Noooooo!"

"Ohaaa…." Angelina opened her eyes, which sparkled a shimmering green in the dark. Everything was quiet and still and she couldn't see a thing. The old book was still clutched tightly in her hand. "….Chocolate? Are you okay….? Chocolate?!" Angelina sat up quickly when her Poke-pal didn't respond. The cabin light was dead so it was hard to find anything. She reached into her backpack and pulled out her flashlight. "Chocolate, where are you? Please answer me." The flashlight beam bounced around the room.

"Pikachu," Chocolate's voice sounded. Angelina whirled around and her light fell on sprawled-out Chocolate. Her eyes swirled a little dizzily from the fall. She immediately scooped her up, allowing her to crawl up to her shoulder.

"Pika-Pika!" Chocolate rubbed her cheek against Angelina's affectionately.

"Jeremy, Christina, Drew?" Angelina called.

"We're over here." Christina answered. She, Jeremy, and Drew sounded as if they were over by the bench.

Angelina let her flashlight travel onto their faces.

"Christina, we **are** friends, right?" Drew asked.

"Of course we are!"

"Then get off me!" Drew pushed Christina from off his back and she landed on the soft bench.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Christina said hastily, giving a fake chuckle.

Drew shot her an _**"I'll-get-you-back-later" **_expression.

Jeremy shook his head at the two. "Ya know, I don't think we're on the water anymore. Let's go check to see if the old man is okay." He said, getting to his feet.

"Good idea," Angelina started up the stairs; she wrenched open the cabin door, followed up by her sister and two friends.

The rain clouds were still blocking the sunlight, but it had stopped showering. Instead, the air was still and quiet with an exceptional humid breeze. The boat was at a slight tilt in the beach sand.

The quartet walked onto the ship's deck, "Mr. Briney?" "Old man? Hey, old Man?"

"Where are you?" "Come on out!" They called.

There was a cough in response that caught their attention. Angelina lead the run towards the front of the ship, where they found Mr. Briney on the floor. He trembled a little bit from shock, but didn't have any injuries. Angelina let out a sigh; she was certain that the waves may have tossed the old captain out to sea. Jeremy helped to sit him up and Angelina fanned him with the Poke-Sphere.

"Oooohaaa…. I think I'm okay; I can manage on my own." Mr. Briney said groggily. He struggled a little to get to his feet and glanced around. It seemed like they were stranded on some sort of sandy island with no kind of civilization in sight.

Mr. Briney walked along the side of the S.S. Peeko, examining it carefully. Peeko was perched on his shoulder quietly.

Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew sat on the sand with their legs crossed and arms folded.

"Hmmmm…." Mr. Briney ran his hand across the ship's side. The weather had certainly done a number to it; some of the metal was terribly stripped, bolts and screws were sprawled out in the sand, and some parts looked as if something got its teeth to it. Still, the old man gave a slight grin, "Fortunately, it's nothing I can't fix. We should be back out to sea in no time." He stated.

Angelina blinked at him skeptically, sweating anime style. **'No time, eh? I wonder what his definition of 'no time' is. With that kind of damage, we'll be lucky if he can even fix the ship at all.'** she thought to herself.

"We'll give you a hand, Mr. Briney." Drew spoke, he and Christina walked over to him.

"That would be great. Thanks, kids," Briney smiled.

Angelina simply stood up and started off in the other direction. Chocolate blinked before following her at her heels.

"And where are **you** going?" Drew called at her.

"I've never been one who could just sit around and wait. I'll be back." Angelina waved without stopping.

"Hey, wait for me, Angel; I'm coming too!" Jeremy scooped up his backpack and started towards his best friend.

Angelina thought the beach environment would be a great spot to catch wild Pokemon, hence the reason she started away. But on the more serious note, she really left because her stomach was begging for food.

"Don't leave me behind, Angel!" Jeremy caught up with her, panting a little bit. He waited to catch his breath before speaking again, "So tell me the truth; you really came out here to catch Pokemon, right?" It was partially right, anyway.

"Yeah," Angelina replied.

"Then I'm coming too."

The two walked along the beach, which was calm after the storm. Angelina kept a sharp eye out for any Pokemon that inhabited the area. The sandy dunes soon turned into small hills of rock and sand the farther they traveled down the beach.

Angelina took the lead up a rock bluff and glanced out around the island. **'Now, let's see……!!'** She blinked to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. "Hey, Jer, come check that out!" she exclaimed.

Jeremy ran up behind her and glanced out overhead. "What're you so—!" His eyes beamed down into the distance. Far off onto the shoreline was a large wooden ship. The paint was peeling off and pieces of the boards were ripped and torn. The ship was resting at a slight tilt, buried in the sand of the shore. It actually reminded Angelina of a very large Spanish Galleon. Jeremy didn't wait too long to take action; he jumped off the cliff and started for the large boat.

"Hey, Jeremy, where are ya' goin'?" Angelina asked.

"Don't you get it? I smell treasure!" Jeremy cried.

Angelina frowned and dashed down the cliff.

"Pikachu," Chocolate followed.

Splish-splash sounds echoed as Angelina, Jeremy, and Chocolate walked across the wet floor of the sunken ship. Inside was dark with a damp stench hovering in the air. The wood was turning green either with age or with the strange plants growing on it. Angelina supposed that, due to the tide's constant changes, water filled various areas of the ship. Jeremy aimed his flashlight out in front of him, clicking it on when it got too dark to see.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" Angelina asked.

"Nope," Jeremy answered simply.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Angelina sweated anime style at that question.

"Not a clue."

"Oh, great," Angelina slouched. '**I much rather be outside catching more Pokemon….'** Actually, she much rather be in Mauville City earning her next badge.

They came to a halt at an old wooden door that was pretty banged up. Jeremy reached for the doorknob all too eagerly.

"Wait a minute." Angelina's voice stopped him, "You can't just wrench it open. What if the entire ship decides to fall on us?"

"Relax, it's not going to fall. Don't be such a Combusken."

Angelina folded her arms as Jeremy pulled the door open. Behind it yielded a narrow hallway with doors lined up on both sides. Each door had an engraving off a jellyfish-like Pokemon just above the doorknob.

"Whoa; this is really cool, right Angel?" Jeremy beamed.

"Oh, yeah; the rotting doors are really great." Angelina said in sarcasm.

Jeremy lead the way down the corridor. He simply couldn't choose which door to go through first. As he glanced on, his eyes fell on one door that stood slightly ajar. It just so happened that this particular door had the engraving of a fish Pokemon with a horn on its head, instead of the jellyfish, Tentacool. "Angel, let's check this one out."

"Whatever."

Jeremy pushed the door open to be greeted by a few tiny rays of sunshine trying to poke its way through the wooden shutters on the window. The room looked as if it had belonged to a small child; the corner was decorated with a small bed dressed in pink (but rather dusty) sheets. Another corner was filled with tatty old Clefairy dolls. On the east wall was an elegant desk carved of wood with a vanity mirror on top.

Jeremy dared to touch a small music box on the desk.

"You think this room belonged to a kid?" Angelina prodded one of the Pikachu dolls, only to kick up dust.

"Obviously," Jeremy answered.

Angelina looked up to the desk mirror. "I dunno'; there's something weird going on. This stuff looks as if it hasn't been touched in centuries….?" Angelina took a closer look into the mirror. It looked like something else was in there besides their reflections, but she couldn't see it clearly.

Almost immediately, a hollow light took on full size, resembling a human more and more. Its hair was long, yet transparent and its eyes were glowing blue.

"Yaaaah!!" Angelina shrieked and dashed back in fright, only to slam into the wall.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Jeremy glanced back.

Angelina's voice flailed breathlessly; all she could do was point. But when she focused on the mirror, all she saw was their reflections.

"Pika?" Chocolate blinked.

"I thought I saw something in that mirror." Angelina panted slightly. Her heart was skipping a few beats from fear. Jeremy turned to her and gave a grin, "Do I detect chicken feathers?" he made a clucking sound.

Angelina frowned and her cheeks went red, "This isn't a joke, Jeremy; I really did see something!"

"Yeah, right," Jeremy said.

"If you—" Suddenly, Angelina caught her breath in the middle of her sentence. Jeremy and Chocolate gave her a puzzled expression in response.

"Let me guess: You see it again?"

Angelina didn't say a word. Instead, she just nodded her head.

Jeremy folded his arms, followed by a skeptical frown. Even Chocolate was starting to look doubtful at her trainer's assumption.

"Okay, I'll humor you." Jeremy turned around and gazed into the mirror. His eyes stared right into the face of the floating girl Angelina saw earlier. "See, there's nothing to—?!" It took them a while to realize what they were looking at. They gulped once nervously.

"…Yaaaah!! IT'S A GHOST; LET GET OUTTA' HERE!" Jeremy shouted.

"Pikaaa—chuuuuu!" Chocolate was so frightened that she scampered across the room.

"Ack!" Angelina gasped.

Chocolate crawled through a hole in the wall that lead out to the corridor, the bell on her ribbon jingling like mad.

"Chocolate, get back here!" Angelina exclaimed. She didn't care if she was afraid or not; Chocolate was top priority. She ran to the side and wrenched the door open.

"What're you doing?" Jeremy shivered.

"I'm going to catch Chocolate." Angelina called back.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Chocolate? Chocolate, can you hear me?" Angelina dashed across the corridor of the ship, and checked them all. "Where could she be? I can't hear the bell around her neck."

"Hey, Angelina, wait up!" Jeremy came bursting out of the room like a mad man. He stammered as he dashed down the corridor, kicking up water behind him. Angelina's eyes shrank when she gazed at the floating entity following behind her best friend. "Whaaaaa! Keep it away from me!" she turned-tail and zoomed along with Jeremy. "Why did you lead her to **me**?!"

"Because you're the one with the staff!"

"Are you **crazy**? I can't cut that!"

The end of the corridor came rushing up to them, revealing a door to them. Angelina felt a slight pang of relief flow through her—they could get rid of the ghost if they got in there. "Jeremy, let's go in there!" she shouted back.

"Right," Jeremy nodded.

The ghost of the little girl was right on their heels. "Whaaaaa.…" It wailed loudly.

Suddenly, Jeremy's foot ran into a loose floorboard just barely visible above the water. The world around him went rushing and he splashed to the ground.

"Jeremy!" Angelina slid to a halt. Ghost or no ghost, she wasn't going to leave her best friend lying there.

"Angelina, go on and save yourself." Jeremy said in a shivering voice.

Angelina sprinted over and helped him up. "Oh, shut up; this isn't a movie!" she said.

"No, but it seemed right at the time." Jeremy gave a wide grin.

Angelina sweated anime style, "Well, you must not be **that** scared if you can pull off jokes." she said. She was about to walk away when a sudden thought struck her. She looked around curiously and carefully. "…hey, wasn't there a ghost following us?"

"Yeah; where'd it go?" Jeremy asked.

A sudden chill blew in front of them and they froze up a bit. It was like something from a horror movie; first, her head emerged from the ground, followed by the rest of her body. This was just perfect; her Pokemon was lost, she was lost, and they were about to face off with a legion of the undead. Her staff was utterly useless against a transparent body, and Pokemon attacks would have just about the same luck.

The ghost drifted towards Angelina and Jeremy slowly and eerily; its hand reached out to try and grab her. Angelina took a step back, clenching her teeth. "Grrr….?? Huh?" Strangely, Angelina's Crystal Bell started to glow dimly. Her eyes flashed their hazel color once and she grinned. Just by the look on her face, the fear that once raced through her evaporated into the air. Angelina stepped forward and pointed at the ghost, "Look, I have to save my Pokemon, so you have two options." she said sternly. Jeremy gave her a skeptical and astonished look. "I can either go around you or through you. Pick your choice, **Gastly**!"

"**What**?!" Jeremy blinked.

"That's right; this is no ghost, but a Gastly in disguise." Angelina said.

"How do you know that?" Jeremy asked.

"Because I can sense it." Angelina's Crystal Bell flashed once.

The ghost just stared at her for a moment with a blank expression. Slowly, it started to fade away its human form, revealing itself as the gaseous ghost Pokemon. "Ga-ga-ga-ga!" It cackled.

Angelina pulled a Pokeball from her belt and frowned. "I'll take you on, then."

"No, I'll take it. You go find Chocolate." Jeremy stepped up. He grabbed a green Pokeball from his belt and tossed it to the ground. "Treecko, it's time to rumble!" It burst open to reveal his grass Pokemon.

"Treecko-ko!" Treecko exclaimed.

"It's payback time for scaring me." Jeremy stated.

Angelina blew past them and wrenched open the door at the end of the corridor; she ran inside and slammed the door behind her. Unlike the other rooms, this once was a lit with a few blue candles. The room was much more vast and emptier than the ship. As a matter of face, the only detail in it besides the candles was a small balcony on the north wall.

"Chocolate? Are you in here? You don't have to be afraid."

"Ah, but she should be."

Angelina jumped a bit at the sudden voice. She averted her gaze to the balcony above and let out a gasp. She hadn't seen him ever since she left Kanto's Elite League HQ, but there was no mistake on who he was. That short and messy black hair and dark green eyes gave his identity away. In his hand, he was grasping Chocolate by the scruff of her neck.

"Seamus Nichols!" Angelina growled.

"Pika! Pika!" Chocolate let out a yelp.

"Very good, Angelina," Seamus grinned. "I can see why your step-mother entrusted you with the Crystal Bell."

"What?! And just how do you know about that?" Angelina demanded.

"I know all about you, and Syorin, and all the others around the world." Seamus gave a sinister grin. "But if you need more compensation on my knowing, perhaps this will suffice." Using his free hand, he pulled something from inside his pocket. Dangling from a string, a bell nearly identical to Angelina's swayed slightly. It's color was a deep blackish violet and radiated with a strange aura.

"A bell? But….but how?!"

"Passed on from the Nichols' side, of course. Surprised you never noticed before, sweet Angel." Seamus jumped down to the ground, landing effortlessly and softly.

Angelina let out a low growl and clenched her fists.

"Oh stop looking so dangerous; I have no interest in this little squirt." Seamus nodded his head to Chocolate, "I just used her as bait to get you here. What I really want is a one-on-one Pokemon battle."

"Challenge accepted!" Angelina answered all too quickly. She pulled a Pokeball from her belt and tossed it to the ground. "I choose you, Basil!" It burst open in a flash of light to reveal her Chikorita.

"Chikori!" the grass-Pokemon gave a smile and crashed into her trainer's stomach, nipping her arm.

"Ooof!" Angelina gasped, catching her in her arms. "Basil, I'm no punching bag." she set her on the ground and pushed her forward. She waved her head leaf at him, smiling a little.

"Go, Sneasel," Seamus tossed a Pokeball and it flashed open.

The Pokemon inside looked kind of like a weasel with midnight green fur and red eyes. Its claws were pearly white and its tail and its left ear were like pink feathers. "Sneasel!" It clanged its claws together.

'**Okay; he chose his Sneasel,'** Angelina grinned, for she knew how wickedly fast Sneasel were.

"Sneasel, use your Quick Attack!" Seamus opened out.

"Snea!" Almost at lightning speed, Sneasel darted towards Angelina's Pokemon with a trail of light behind it.

"We'll defend with Reflect!"

"Chika!" It was hard to see, but a transparent wall grew up in front of Basil; Sneasel drove head-first into her wall, trying to break through. Basil clenched her teeth as she tried to hold her enemy off using the wall in front of her. Sneasel, on the other hand, didn't even make an effort in its attempt. The barrier around Basil shattered and she was forced to slide back.

"Ah!" Angelina took a shocked step back. **'What Power! He made Basil's reflect look powerless!'**

"Sneasel, use your Fury Swipes!" Seamus ordered.

"Snea-snea-snea-snea!" Sneasel moved in close to its opponent and wildly swung its claws at her. Basil started to sweat as she danced away backwards. Occasionally, Sneasel would graze her cheeks, but she managed to jumped away from most of the swipes.

Angelina watched them get closer and closer; each second reigned with more precision and accuracy. She had to find a counter measure and fast! "Razor Leaf attack!"

"Chika!" Basil spun her head leaf to deliver a close-range Razor Leaf flourish. Sneasel used its claws to swat the sharp greens away, tearing them to shreds in the process.

"That was a nice trick, Angelina, but no different from the last time we battled." Seamus stated.

"I'm just getting started, that I am!" Angelina shouted. She wasn't going to be shown up by her long-time rival. "Basil, we'll fight back with Vine Whip!"

"Chikori!" Two vines sprouted from Basil's bud necklace like long, green whips; they streaked through the air towards Sneasel.

"Pa—the—tic!" Seamus grinned. Sneasel just stood there and waited calmly. This made Angelina a bit unsure of her previous order.

"….Snea!" _**WHACK!**_ "Dah!" Angelina gasped. Sneasel grasped the vine whips deftly, grinning. Basil tried to pull back, but she wasn't strong enough to even sake her opponent's grip in the least.

"Do it now, Sneasel!"

"Snea-sle!" Sneasel yanked on the vines and drug Basil to the ground harshly. It reeled her in slowly despite her struggles and fights. When she was pulled close, it raised its fist; Sneasel started to encase its punch in a sparkling blue mist. The air started to chill and Angelina recognized the attack immediately.

"Basil, nooooo!" _**SMACK!**_

Basil was sent sprawling to the ground from the icy punch. "Chikorii…." She struggled to get to her feet.

Angelina's body started to ache all over. She dropped to one knee and started to breath nearly as heavy as Basil. **'I can feel her pain….'** she thought to herself.

"Quick Attack!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Sneaaa!" Sneasel swished through the air swiftly and crashed into Basil harshly.

"Chikaaa!!" Basil went soaring into the air; In the same instant second, Sneasel jumped into the air and struck her down to the watery ground.

"Ah!" Angelina felt the pain shoot through her stomach. Her Crystal Bell was vibrating and glowing more visibly with each hit dealt.

"Finish this with your Headbutt attack!"

"Sneasel! Sneasel!" Lowering its head, Sneasel charged towards its opponent with great force.

"Use your Headbutt to counter!" Angelina said desperately. Basil pushed to her feet and summoned all of her strength to throw her body forward. _**BANNNG!**_ A mild shockwave shook the ship a bit. Angelina grasped her head and fell to both knees.

"Sneasel," Sneasel gave a triumphant smile.

"It's over, Angelina. I thought that by now, you'd be a lot stronger than last time." Seamus said, sounding quite disappointed. He folded his arms and frowned.

"Grrrrr…." Basil struggled to get back up. The battle had really wiped her out and she could barely stand up.

"Basil…." Angelina hid her eyes underneath her hat. She let her arms hang at her sides,

"Please….this battle is over…Return now—"

_**(I won't!)**_ Basil spoke up.

Angelina gave a shocked look as her bell started to vibrate even more wildly. "Why not?"

_**(Because I wanna' win. I saw how you and Chocolate were able to fight together and I want that too.) **_Basil forced herself to stand firmly, _**(Let's fight together!) **_She exclaimed.

Angelina gave a smile and stood up too. "Yeah; Let's!"

Suddenly, the whole of Basil's being started to glow with a shining white light. Angelina's eyes started to sparkle, but Seamus just frowned calmly. Basil's body grew twice its normal size and her leaf became a little thinner. The shining light wore off to reveal an entirely different Pokemon all together. Her neck was longer and the bud necklace was now a leaf necklace. Her body was now a marigold color and a beautiful smell drifted from the plants on her body.

"Bay!" Basil smiled, her short tail wagging.

"Oh, wow! She evolved into a Bayleef!" Angelina said excitedly.

"I'd have to say that's an impressive trick, Angelina. Let's see how you handle her, now." Seamus folded his arms, "Sneasel, use your Quick Attack!"

"Sneasel!" Sneasel launched towards Basil in a quick streak of light.

"Oh, yeah! Basil, it's time to snatch it up with Vine Whip!"

"Bay—ee!" Two vines shot from underneath Basil's leaf necklace and wrapped around Sneasel's claws.

"Snea?!" Sneasel gasped in disbelief.

"Now, pin it to the ground and Body Slam it!" Angelina said.

Basil slammed Sneasel down to the ground and pinned it there. Her new-found strength kept it from getting up at all; Basil jumped up high into the air and brought her weight down onto her weight on it. _**WHAAAAM!**_

"Sneaaaa!" Sneasel shrieked.

'**Not bad….'** Seamus nodded.

Basil stepped off of her opponent and gave a triumphant grin. Sneasel's eyes spun in dizzy circles from the loss.

"Sneasel, return," Seamus returned Sneasel to its Pokeball.

"You did it, Basil—and we fought as a team!" Angelina and Basil threw their arms around each other in a hug. Seamus sets Chocolate down on the ground gently.

"Pikachu!" Chocolate scampered towards her trainer. Angelina held out another arm and embraced both her Pokemon in a group hug.

"This isn't over, Murakami." Seamus said, "Consider this round one." He held up the Shadow Bell and it started to ring in his hands. A purple aura surrounded his body before he vanished into thin air.

"Huh?" Angelina blinked. **'Is this some kind of trick? How did he do that?' **Something weird was going on and she had a feeling that the farther she went on her quest, the weirder it would get.

"Bay-ee!" Basil rubbed her cheek against her trainer's affectionately.

"You did a great job, Basil. Do you feel like returning to your Pokeball for a little bit?"

"Bay," Basil smiled.

Angelina returned her to her Pokeball and smiled. "Thanks."

_**CLICK—Whoosh!**_ The door to the room swung open and Jeremy came walking in. "Hey, Angel, I see you found Chocolate." He said.

"What took you so long?" Angelina asked.

"It seemed that Gastly and I had a lot more in common than I thought." Jeremy held out a Pokeball in his hand. Angelina flashed him a thumbs-up.

The S.S. Peeko was back in the water, up, and running. Mr. Briney was on deck, but Drew and Christina were still on the back, scanning the area.

"I can't believe those two." Drew growled, "First they skip off on us without helping; now, they decide to hide out somewhere." Slowly, Jeremy and Angelina were seen coming across the hill. The frown on his face lightened up a little bit, but he was still pretty ticked off; he waited till Angelina and Jeremy got close before hounding on them. "There you are!" he shouted and they stopped in their tracks. "I'm gonna' give you two a piece of my mind!" he dashed down the steps of the side of the ship and towards them.

"Oh no—" "—Run!" Angelina and Jeremy didn't hesitate to turn-tail and run away. A swirling dust cloud spiraled behind them as they tried to keep Drew and from catching them while Christina watched from the ship and burst into fits of giggles.

And as our heroes run for their lives, the thrill for adventure thrives even stronger within them. What surprises are in store for them? Find out next time!

**§To Be Continued§**

New information: Angel's Chikorita evolves, her long-time rival returns and has a Shadow Bell, and Jeremy captures a Gastly. Next chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading!


	15. Slateport Break

Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my own characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 15: Slateport Break**

Angelina layed on the newly-waxed deck that she had just got finished polishing. Chocolate was sprawled out right beside her, panting a little bit. The good news was that they smelled lemony fresh. The bad news was that they were all tuckered out. Jeremy and Drew sat against the wall as he tossed a pair of towels into the silver bucket while Christina watched from a far and colored in a book.

"If I would've known we were going to be on cleaning detail, I would've stayed on the island." Angelina complained.

"Yes, but someone had to say **_'ooh, let's help'_**!" Jeremy eyed Drew, who gave a sigh.

"For once, I'm not even going to argue with you." Drew said.

"Ahoy, there, kids; Slateport Harbor is just over the horizon!" Mr. Briney shouted from the wheel's private deck.

Angelina found the strength to get to her feet and walked over to the front rail.

At first, a sandy beach slowly came into view, followed by a rainbow of umbrellas and chairs. The buildings of the big city rose up higher the closer they got to it. The breeze from Mr. Briney's boat made Angelina's hair sway wildly in her face and she had to push it out of the way to see.

"Hey, what're you lookin' at?" Jeremy and Drew popped up on Angelina's left side. Chocolate skipped up to her trainer's shoulder.

Slateport City pulled in closer to view and they gave a wide smile—they had finally made it! Angelina couldn't believe how far her Pokemon journey had taken her.

"Won't be long now till we're in the harbor, kids." Mr. Briney told them.

"I can't wait to get on the beach." Drew leaned on the railing, going into thought, "Surfing, tanning, ice cream—"

"But most of all, food!" Jeremy and Angelina interrupted.

Drew frowned and folded his arms; Christina giggled.

Well, it seems that our heroes have finally made it to the beach city of Slateport. What surprises await our heroes today? Find out!

_**I came from Pallet Town  
**__**With a brand new world to see  
**__**I don't know what's ahead  
**__**But it won't get the best of me**_

_**There's so much to learn  
**__**And battles to be won  
**__**I've advanced so far  
**__**But still there's always more to come **_

_**Take a step and I'm on my way  
**__**Gonna start all over again**_

**_I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Pokemon Advance  
(I'm on my way)  
_****_I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Give me just one chance_ **

_**And the future will decide  
**__**If there's a hero buried deep inside**_

_**I wanna be a hero  
**__**Pokemon!**_

The S.S. Peeko pulled into the loud harbor of Slateport City just moments after seeing the city. The mechanical ramp extended from the side and met flatly on the docks.

Angelina slung her backpack over her shoulder; she was eager to get off and keep moving.

"Well, this is as far as I go." Mr. Briney jumped down to the kid's deck level.

"What do you mean?" Christina asked.

"I mean, I'll see you off here. I have a shack back at home to take care of."

"Gee, that's too bad, but I guess we'll meet up again, right?" Angelina held out her hand.

Mr. Briney shook it and gave a smile. "I'll cheer you on once you get to the Hoenn League." He said and Angelina nodded. Peeko fluttered from her trainer's shoulder; with a happy chirp, she nipped Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew affectionately with her beak.

As they walked down the ramp to the docks, they waved goodbye.

Mr. Briney didn't waste any time; in a matter minutes, his boat was already drifting away from the harbor. "Good luck and be careful!" His voice trailed off.

The four kids watched Mr. Briney and the S.S. Peeko slowly fade into the distance.

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Briney." Angelina said lightly, watching the sea for a little while. If it weren't for Mr. Briney, they wouldn't have been as far as they were now.

"O—KAY!" Drew thrust his arms around Angelina's and Jeremy's shoulders and they sweated anime style while Christina smiled. "We've said our goodbyes; let's hit the beach now! **_AND_** there's a Pokemon Contest Hall nearby, so I'm participating!"

"Uh…. yeah," Angelina said.

Jeremy pulled out of Drew's grip and clicked on her Poke-Gear. "According to this map, there's a Pokemon Center right by the beach. We could stay there for a couple of days on vacation." he said.

"You guys waste way too much time talking; let's just go already!" Drew grasped the older teens by their arms and started pulling them through the crowd; Christina followed behind them.

"….but I wanted to keep moving on, not take a vacation." Angelina said lowly.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Christina was the first to set foot toward the sparkling blue beach. The group had checked out a room in the Pokemon Center and was ready to enjoy their vacation from Pokemon training.

Christina was decked out in a yellow two piece swimsuit and her brown hair was up in pigtails. Drew wore his blue swim trunks while Jeremy wore green swim trucks; both had rented matching surfboards to use. Angelina, on the other hand, didn't change at all.

While Christina, Drew, and Jeremy ran towards the edge of the shore, Angelina just walked.

"Hey, Angelina! Are you sure you don't wanna' swim with us?" Drew called back to her.

"Not right now, thanks." Angelina smiled. She could always go to the beach and preferred to do it at night to witness any nocturnal water Pokemon. She took her sweet time to catch up with her friends. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked them.

"Huh?" Drew and Jeremy turned to her.

Chocolate clambered up from the sand onto Angelina's shoulder. "Just because I don't want to spend the day at the beach doesn't mean my Pokemon won't. Can you watch them for me?" she asked.

"No sweat—It'll be fun." Drew smiled at her.

"Hey, why don't we let out all our Pokemon? They deserve a break too." Jeremy suggested.

Angelina nodded and took four Pokeballs from her belt, "Precious, Basil, Spritz; time to come out and have some fun!" she tossed them into the air and they burst open in a flash of light.

"Azuu!" "Bay-ee!" "Nyaa!!" Angelina's Pokemon **_(Azumarill, Bayleef, and Skitty)_** smiled at her. They all crowded around their trainer happily.

"Roselia, go!" Drew tossed out a Pokeball.

"Roseliii!" Roselia chirped.

"Totodile, Charmander, Smoochum; release!" Christina released her own Pokemon.

"Totodile!" "Smooch!" Totodile and Smoochum dashed off towards the water while Charmander hid behind Christina; being a fire Pokemon, it didn't like water that much.

"Treecko, Swampert, Gastly; go!" Jeremy threw two Pokeballs to the sand and they flashed open.

"Swamp!"

"Treecko-ko!"

"Ga-ga-ga-ga!" Suddenly, Gastly floated over to Jeremy and enshrouded its body over its trainer's head. Since it was happy, the toxins in its body were harmless.

"Gastly, you puffball, get off me!" Jeremy pulled his ghost Pokemon from his face and held it under his arm like a beach ball.

"Don't worry, Angel; I'll watch your Pokemon for you." Drew assured her.

Angelina flashed a thumbs-up, then turned to her Pokemon, "Have lots of fun and don't get into trouble." she said and her Pokemon nodded.

With that, Angelina ran off with Chocolate still with her. She walked down the sidewalk of Slateport City, trying not to run into anybody. The cool thing about Slateport, in Angelina's opinion, was their elegant display of ships and boats **_(however, she was still upset from waxing the S.S. Peeko)_**. From toothpick ships in bottles to actual mariners with stores built inside, the entire city made Angelina feel at sea again.

"Hope I don't get sick or anything." Angelina mumbled.

On one of the lampposts, a paper poster suddenly caught her attention. "…. The Oceanic Museum! So, how 'bout it, Chocolate?"

"Chuu," Chocolate yawned and Angelina laughed a bit.

"All right, let's just head back to the beach." Angelina said.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Meanwhile; Christina, Jeremy, and Drew were having the time of their lives.

Drew was tanning on a lounge chair while Christina and Totodile shared a surfboard while cruising deftly along a small wave.

"Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this, Totodile." Christina used her arms to balance herself.

"Totto-to-to!" Totodile hopped on the surfboard and it jumped a little.

Christina caught it by the bottom and corrected it before she wiped out.

Azumarill, Smoochum, and Skity were helping Charmander and Treecko build a giant sandcastle. Bayleef and Roselia took it easy with a nap while Swampert swam out to sea.

"Oh, yeah!" Jeremy walked away from an ice cream booth with a triple-scooped strawberry ice cream. "Where have you been all my life?"

"Gastly!" From out of nowhere, Jeremy's overly-passionate Gastly appeared and demolished off one of his scoops in one gulp. "Ga-a-a-a!" It licked its lips.

"You pig! Come back here!" Jeremy chased his Gastly all the way back to the shore.

"Whu-oh! I don't think I'm going to make it!" Christina teetered on her surfboard. Totodile jumped onto her back in panic and accidentally covered her eyes. "Totodile, stop! I can't see and we might—" Almost in an instant, the waves snatched Christina's surfboard from underneath her and she splashed into the surf. Totodile was the first to come up, followed by its trainer.

"Totodile, what happened?" Christina asked.

"To- To- To- To- To- To!" Totodile danced in the manner of a tiny kid saying, "Let's do it again!"

"At least you enjoyed the splash." Christina smiled.

Back on the shore, Drew was cracking up. He laughed so hard, that he had to hold his sides.

"Hmmm…. I have an idea." Christina grinned.

"Wha-whaaa!" Drew teetered and tottered on his surfboard. Christina had sent him out with his own surfboard on the dare that he could do better than she could. "I-I can't control it!" he complained as the wave took him and his surfboard up. He fell to his stomach and clung to the board shakily.

"Don't worry; it's easy, remember?" Christina called out.

Suddenly, the wave Drew was riding took up speed. "Wha-wha-wha-wha!" his body rattled with the surfboard. The wave took him closer and closer to shore just to toss him into the air.

"Oh-no, not me!" Christina wailed as Drew's shadow hovered over her. She tried to run, but the wave had accomplished its goal; Drew's back crashed into Christina's and the two fell into the sand.

"Bleh!" Christina spat.

"Maybe my surfing wasn't such a good idea after all…." Drew's eyes spun dizzily.

"No, but I have a brilliant idea now; get off my back, Drew!" Christina growled.

"I will as soon as the world stops spinning in circles." Drew answered her with an air of grogginess.

"Too bad Angel isn't enjoying this. She's probably reading some ancient scrolls or something." Jeremy said, approaching the two while holding Gastly.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

As Angelina broke out of an alleyway and out onto another street, a group of three children rushed past her, each laughing and carrying a Pokeball. Intrigued, Angelina followed their path southward, and found herself descending stone steps and back onto the sandy beach.

There were lounge chairs and umbrella's and towels of every color strewn about on the warm sand. People were tanning, others were enjoying similar beach-time activities. But she passed the volleyball players, the tanners, the kite flyers, and went straight to where a large group of children all had Pokemon out. They were comparing them, praising them, and even battling them. Though most of the trainers were children much younger than her and even a few older than her. Angelina walked around a little, not feeling quite fit into the crowd, and just waited for someone to approach her; it didn't take long until someone did.

"Hi," said a boy. He was around Drew's age, with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. He was clad only in turquoise colored bathing trucks, and was holding a Pokeball in his left hand, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No," Angelina replied. "I'm from Pallet Town, in the Kanto Region."

The boy nodded, "I see. My name is Aaron," he said. "And you are….?"

"I'm Angelina. So I've heard there isn't a gym in this town, huh?" she asked, looking back towards the city.

"True, there isn't. The local trainers come down here everyday to train. It's not too bad of a battling spot. We get rods from the rental place, even boats sometimes, and go fishing off the shore. As you could probably guess, most of us are water trainers." Aaron explained. "I kind of wish I could go get out of here though, like my sister Brie."

"Oh, that's nice." Angelina smiled.

"Hey, would you like to battle with me?" Aaron asked. "I want to see how good you are."

"Well, all right," Angelina said, pulling out a Pokeball. "Let's go."

Seconds later, Angelina and Aaron were standing a good length apart, and the battle, before it had even started, drew a crowd. Most people were standing closer to Aaron, which was natural. It was a native versus an outsider, and they wanted Aaron to win.

"So, a two on two battle!" Aaron called to Angelina.

Angelina nodded in agreement.

"But Aaron, you only just caught your—" a little girl was saying, but was cut off.

"Let's go, Krabby!" Aaron yelled, hurling his first Pokeball out onto the sand. It erupted in light, and a small red-and-white crab came forth, snapping his pincirs wildly.

"Go Shadow!" Angelina yelled, throwing out her dark-type Disaster Pokemon Absol. "Attack with Bite!"

"Krabby, Bubble attack!" Aaron countered.

Shadow enclosed on Krabby, who fired out a mist of bubbles which connected with Absol's body, stopping him in his tracks.

"Shadow, come back with your Sand Tomb!" Angelina yelled.

"Ab-SOL!" Shadow executed his attack and conjured a burst of sand that enveloped Krabby, doing a good amount of damage to the water Pokemon.

"Krabby, Vice Grip!" Aaron ordered.

Krabby scuttled sideways across the sand, with surprisingly impressive speed, and to snap its claws onto Angelina's Pokemon.

"Shadow, Dig!" Angelina dictated.

Shadow dug through the sand with ease, just avoiding the Vice Grip attack, and bursting up below the crustacean, knocking it out.

"Come back, Krabby. Go Squirtle!" Aaron yelled as he switched Pokemon. He sent out a small blue turtle with a brown-and-yellow shell. "Bubblebeam!" the small turtle opened its mouth and fired out a blast of blue bubbles, which crushed down on Absol and eliminated him from battle.

"Ouch…." Angelina said, returning her Pokemon. She took out Feather's Pokeball. "Go!" she yelled. Her swallow-bird Pokemon erupted from the Pokeball and let out a shriek. "Attack with Air Slash!"

Feather tore through the air and raked his talons over Squirtle, whom wasn't too hurt because of his protective shell. "Wing Attack!"

"Withdraw!" Aaron commanded.

Squirtle closed itself in its shell, while Feather lashed out once with each wing; the attack was deflected.

"Now, use your Water Gun!"

The turtle popped out from its encasement again, and fired off a frigid blast of water, which Feather managed to dodge with an Agility. The swallow-bird Pokemon then attacked with Quick Attack, sending Squirtle sprawling forward.

"Feather, Peck!" Angelina said, pointing at the target. Feather began his swoop.

"Squirtle, Mud Slap!" Aaron retaliated.

The water Pokemon turned and wet the sand in front of him with some water, and then kicked amounts of wet sand up into Feather's eyes, stopping his progression.

"Wing Attack, again!"

Feather lashed out its wings, which this time struck the opposing Pokemon.

"Tackle attack!" Aaron commanded.

Squirtle charged across the sand, ready to leap and attack Feather.

"Feather, on my command! Fly up, turn around, and use Pursuit!" Angelina yelled up to her Pokemon. Squirtle then took air off the ground, flying at Feather. "Now!"

Angelina's Pokemon flapped, gaining altitude, and turned just as Squirtle started to fall. Flaring up in black flames, it then struck the water-turtle Pokemon dead on and knocked it out.

"Man…." Aaron said glumly, as he recalled his Squirtle. "I can't believe I lost…."

"Don't feel bad, you did great," Angelina said, recalling her Taillow as well. She walked over to Aaron and put out her hand, Aaron took it and shook. "So why aren't you out traveling around Hoenn like your sister?"

"Well…. Um, I um—" Aaron stuttered, but then was interrupted by a woman's voice calling his name from the distance. "I gotta go home now, bye." and with that, he ran.

Angelina shrugged and turned around, where the crowd was dispersing. As she walked along the shoreline, she was approached by an old man.

"Hello!" the old man said as he stepped in Angelina's path. He was old with a long white beard and a bit of white hair on his mostly bald and wrinkled head. He had two eyes the color of the sea, and a kind crooked smile. He was wearing a greenish vest which had many pockets on it, and a red box. He also had a black case in his other hand. "I saw you battling Aaron," he said, setting down his box and holding the case in both hands. "I want you to have this, as a memento from Slateport." He unzipped the black case and pulled out two brownish poles. He screwed them together to form a fishing rod. It had black grips on it. "You can get some good fishing off the shore."

"Thanks a lot," Angelina said as she took the fishing rod from the old angler. "I appreciate it, really. More than one water Pokemon could really help me out."

The man said **_'you're welcome'_** and headed off again.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Hiya, guys!" "Pika—Pikachu!" Angelina and Chocolate waved to Jeremy, Drew, and Christina; who were sitting on the sand with all of their Pokemon. They smiled and waved back to her.

"Where were you all day, Angel?" Jeremy's voice echoed.

Angelina kicked up sand as she ran up the dunes to them.

"Bay—eee!" "Azumarill!" "Nyaaa!" Angelina's Pokemon dashed up to greet her.

"You missed a great time, Lina!"

"Yeah, we went surfing and everything!" Drew sweated anime style at Christina.

Angelina laughed, "Sounds like fun! Well, let's just say the same went for me, too."

**§To Be Continued§**

I decided to put in the 6th Pokemon season theme song **_'I Wanna Be A Hero'_**, but only for a few more chapters after this. I will have the next chapter up soon! Thanks for reading!


	16. Flower Power

Hey! Thanks for the review! So here's the next chapter, is similarly based from the episode_** 'Now That's Flower Power!'**_ and twisted in my ideas. I don't own Pokemon except for my characters, enjoy!

**Chapter 16: Now That's Flower Power**

The sun wasn't even up yet and the outside was still pretty dark. Angelina had washed the laundry the other day so she could use them again. Jeremy and Christina were still sleeping in the room of the Pokemon Center. Angelina was extra careful not to wake them up; she knew Drew said a few days ago about traveling ahead on his own to train for the upcoming Pokemon Contest in two weeks.

With her Pokeballs on her belt, Angelina pulled on her backpack. "C'mon, Chocolate," she whispered.

"Pika!" Chocolate yelped silently and jumped onto her shoulder.

Angelina crept out of the room stealthily, shutting the door behind her softly. She walked down the hallway and into the lobby, then she stepped through the sliding glass doors as they split apart for her.

The air was crisp, with a hint of salt in the light breeze. Angelina walked down to the beach to test out her new fishing rod; the terrain beneath her feet transformed from hard rock to gritty soft sand. There was no one in sight, though. There were holes and crumbled mounds of wet sand from where small children had built sandcastles the day before, and the lone plastic shovel here and there, but other than that, nothing. It was probably too early for any of the locals to be up and about the beach.

While Chocolate decided to go back to sleep, Angelina headed over to the edge of the water and casted her rod in. Several hours later, she only had two bites. Only one of them she pulled in, and it was a Magikarp, but she tossed it back and recasted her line out into the sea, in hopes of snagging a worth-while Pokemon. Then she felt a sudden pull on her line.

"Wha?" Angelina said before being pulled into the sea. "Aww, now I'm all wet!" Chocolate woke up from her nap and laughed. Then Angelina's fishing pole started to tug again. She pulled back as hard as she could, reeling what ever it was in. However, the mystery Pokemon tugged even harder.

"Basil, help me out!" Angelina managed to call out her Bayleef before losing her footing and falling down, still holding on to the pole. She stood up as Basil used her long vines and took hold of the pole as well and they pulled with all of their might. That was enough to bring up the submerged water Pokemon.

The Pokemon struggled in midair, it was fish-like with its blue fins and purple scales. "Bas!" it cried landing back into the water, resurfacing.

Angelina stood there astonished. "No way…." Then she quickly whipped out her Pokedex.

'_**Feebas, the Fish Pokemon,'**_ Dexette explained. _**'Febas's fins are ragged and tattered from the start of its life. Because of its shoddy appearance, this Pokemon is largely ignored.'**_

"I think Jeremy mentioned earlier that Feebas were native near Fortree City," Angelina said out loud. "Anyway, Basil show'em what you can do!"

Basil jumped in front of her trainer, getting into a fighting position. The purple Feebas attacked with a green flamethrower from its mouth aimed at Basil.

"Dragonbreath? Feebas don't learn that move unless they learn it from a parent." Angelina muttered under her breath as the attack went through Basil. Suddenly, Basil lowered her head and ran toward Feebas, knocking it out of the water and onto land. Angelina threw out a Pokeball and it consumed Feebas with red light. Chocolate and Basil cheered as Angelina picked up the Pokeball, only to have it disappear in white light to Professor Oak's Laboratory. "Hmm, I wonder how he's faring…."

_**I came from Pallet Town  
With a brand new world to see  
I don't know what's ahead  
But it won't get the best of me**_

_**There's so much to learn  
And battles to be won  
I've advanced so far  
But still there's always more to come **_

_**Take a step and I'm on my way  
Gonna start all over again**_

_**I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Pokemon Advance  
(I'm on my way)  
I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Give me just one chance**_

_**And the future will decide  
If there's a hero buried deep inside**_

_**I wanna be a hero  
Pokemon!**_

Angelina walked back to the Pokemon Center so she could check on how Feebas was doing. Chocolate was perched on her trainer's shoulders; she walked through the sliding doors of the Center and walked to the video-phone in the corner. Angelina called Professor Oak's Lab and waited. She was greeted with the sight of Professor Oak with burn marks and Feebas in the background using Dragonbreath repeatedly on his belongings.

"Angelina! About time you called! Your Feebas is vicious!" Professor Oak said, huffing and puffing.

"Really, because I had no trouble catching her. I see she likes you." Angelina said, sweatdropping at her mental image on what probably happened. "Let me talk to her. Maybe that'll calm her down." Professor Oak grabbed a hold of the raging Feebas and with much difficulty, held her in front of the screen.

"Hi there I'm Angelina, the trainer that caught you." she introduced as Feebas gave her a confused look. "And since I'm your trainer, I'm gonna give you a nickname!" Feebas looked even more confused until Chocolate took hold of the receiver and talked to her in Poke-language to clear up the gap.

"Okay, how about Shimmer?" Angelina asked with a finger to her lip. Feebas started to flop up and down in Professor Oak's hands. "Well it's decided then. Be good to Professor Oak, okay Shimmer?" she asked as Professor Oak sets her down.

"Angelina, I've been wanting to ask you a few questions." Professor Oak said.

"All right, ask away!" Angelina said cheerfully.

"What other Pokemon do you have? Do you have other shinnies?" Professor Oak started to ask.

"Well I did have Rose, my pink Butterfree, but I released her three years ago," Angelina explained. "Though I still have Twilight, my Noctowl, she's around your lab."

"Are there any others in your team now? The only one sent here so far was your Feebas," Professor Oak said.

"Um, Professor? I'd hate to burst your bubble but I don't have all day…." Angelina said as she and Chocolate sweatdropped.

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry. Be careful, Angelina!" Professor Oak said as she disconnected the line.

After a few hours of walking, Angelina decided to head out through Slateport City. By now, tons of people and their Pokemon were up and about for the day. The smell of food drifted from the restaurants in a blend of cosmetic scents coming from the beauty salon. There were stores that sold toothpick ship models in bottles and art of the sea.

"Chaaaa," Chocolate gave a bored yawn.

"Yeah, yeah, I wanna' have fun too." Angelina empathized with her, walking down the sidewalk as a light summer breeze blew through the sky. She suddenly stops at the top of a stairwell leading down the cliff into the cove, and there was Drew spin a pick frisbee on his finger and talking to a young girl with long brown hair in a pigtail-like look and sapphire eyes.

"No way, it's May Yurison!" Angelina exclaimed, quickly recognizing her fan from the Hoenn Region. The young brunette wore a red bandana cap with a white Pokeball symbol on the side, a red collared shirt with a black rim around the neck, a white skirt with black biker shorts underneath, white-and-black fingerless gloves, black socks and running shoes.

Angelina walked down the stairs quietly, now holding Chocolate in her arms and keeping a close eye on Drew and May.

"I'm Drew, Pokemon Coordinator."

"Really? That's just like you, May!" said a familiar voice, and Angelina located its own as her young brother Ash Ketchum.

Angelina saw another boy around her sister's age, assuming it was May's little brother, Max. The little boy had dark blackish-blue hair and wore giant-framed glasses, brown shorts, green-and-black shoes, a bright green short-sleeved top with a white collared shirt underneath. But what made Angelina slow down her descending was her gaze on her brother's best friend, Brock. He had the same spiky brown hair and black squinty eyes, he now wore a green shirt underneath a short-sleeved gray jacket with an orange collar, gray pants, and gray sneakers.

"Whoa, just calm down, little girl," Drew smirked, his hand in front of May's face.

"May, don't listen to what he says," Max told her.

"Yeah, why don't you show us **your** great Pokemon?" Ash demanded.

"Why, what good would that do?" Drew said doubtfully. "I think you **children** outta just be on your way."

"Why should we?" Max asked.

"This is a private beach reserved for people like me staying at that resort," Drew informed, pointing at the blue building on the cliff-top.

Ash and friends begin to leave, but May turns back, growling, "I guess you're entering the Pokemon Contest, too?"

"Brilliant guess, genius," Drew confirmed sarcastically.

Angelina was shocked by her friend's attitude, yet she also felt bad for May at the same time. She walked toward them with irritated calmness, "Finished yet?"

Drew turned to her, grinning, "Didn't know I was being followed."

"Eavesdropping is a better term, but it's okay for me," Angelina glared, then noticed May's confusion. "Sorry if he was bothering you, sweetie."

"ANGELINA!" a male voice interrupted.

Chocolate jumped down and watched curiously as three boys approached her trainer. She smirked at the sight of the Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulders

_**(Long time no see!)**_ Pikachu greeted. _**(How's your journey?)**_

_**(Hey Pikachu!) **_Chocolate smiled. _**(It's really awesome! Tell me about yours.)**_

"No way, it's Angelina Murakami!" Max exclaimed excitedly, not even surprised that Brock wasn't acting like a goof around a girl. "Hi, I'm Max! Your defeat over Kanto's Elite Four was impressive!"

"Thanks," Angelina smiled. "I also competed in Johto's Silver League Conference."

"Yeah, you lost against Gary Oak in the preliminaries," Max said. "His Pokemon were strong, but yours put up a great fight and I was almost on the edge of my seat!"

"Geas, you remember hers but not mine," Ash muttered anoyedly.

Angelina giggled, "Did you watch the Crystalline Concert, too?"

"OH MY GOSH! I'm such a big fan of Crystalline! Her songs are so amazing!" May said ecstatically, then she calmed down and looked curious. "But how do you know Drew?"

"I met him at the Oldale Town Pokemon Center, didn't know he was my best friend's brother at the time," Angelina replied, then whispers, "Long story though, I'll explain later."

Later that day and after lunch, Angelina walks through the forest with Drew so he could train for the upcoming Pokemon Contest. They hear voices calling out a name, and then they see a little Pokemon that resembled a baby chicken with flaming red wings and a tiny yellow beak.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Angelina cooed, taking out her Pokedex.

'_**Torchic, the Chick Pokemon,'**_ Dexette informed. _**'Torchic has a place inside its body where it keeps its flame. Give it a hug— it will be glowing with warmth.'**_

"It's trying to reach that Bluk Berry tree," Drew said; he walks forward just as the Torchic climbs up and finally reach the tree by hanging onto the branch with its beak.

"Drew, get back here!" Angelina hissed. She sees Ash and friends arrive while the branch snaps as Torchic and the berries fall toward the ground, but a silverish-string lashed out and wrapped around Torchic and safely lands in May's arms. "Oh, it's her Pokemon!"

"Hm, that last attack had some real act to it," Drew praised, now standing on a small rock with the branch and the blackish-purple berries slung over his shoulder.

"Thank you— HEY! Those Bluk berries belong to Torchic! Give'em back!" May demanded.

"All right," Drew said. "All you have to do is battle with me first."

"No way!" May refused.

"Why not? Afraid you're going to embarrass yourself again?" Drew asked.

"Fine. I accept!" May angrily agreed.

Drew grinned, "Good, smart move."

The Bluk Berry branch is placed on a rock and Brock stands in front of it to referee the battle. Drew and May stand on separate sides; Angelina stands behind Drew while Ash and Max stand behind May.

"Okay, this mock contest battle will now be underway," Brock announced.

"Some encouragement?" Drew asked.

Angelina rolled her eyes, "Why am I even here, you don't need— oh, I'm kidding!" she saw the slightly hurt look in his eyes.

"Begin!" Brock shouted.

"Beautifly!" May called, spinning a few times, "The stage is yours!" she threw out the Pokeball.

"Beautifly! Beau-Beautifly!" the butterfly-like Pokemon appeared, flapping its rainbow wings as silver dust flowed from them.

"Ow, what's that?" Angelina awed, bringing out her Pokedex.

'_**Beautifly, the Butterfly Pokemon,'**_ Dexette informed. _**'It has a long mouth like a coiled needle, which is very convenient for collecting pollen from flowers.'**_

Drew flicks his hair and smirks, "Roselia, go!" he threw out a Pokeball.

"Ros-e! Roooo!" the thorn-plant Pokemon appeared and flies into the air as a powder flows from its rose-covered hands.

"What's that?" Ash asked, taking out his Pokedex.

'_**Roselia, the Thorn Pokemon,'**_ Dextina explained. _**'Roselia's aroma can bring serenity, but the thorns on its head contain a vicious poison.'**_

"Wow, what a cool Pokemon!" Max awed.

"Ha!" Drew flicks his hair again, "Your praise doesn't even come close to describing the artistic style of my Pokemon!"

"I'm not losing to you!" May yelled.

"Then please, ladies first," Drew replied.

"Beautifly, Tackle now!" May ordered.

"Beautifly! Beau!" Beautifly soars into the air.

"Roselia, use Petal Dance," Drew said calmly.

"Roseee!" Roselia spins in the air creating a gust of pink petals.

"Beautiflyyyy! Beautifly!" Beautifly cried as the pink petals strike hard.

"Beautifly!" May gasped.

"That Petal Dance was super powerful!" Max said in shock.

The barrage of pink petals stop, leaving Beautifly to teeter in the air dizzily, "Beau! Beautifly!"

"Stun Spore, Roselia!" Drew commanded.

"Sereee!" Roselia spun twice, a brown powder appeared from its rose-covered hands and fired in waves at Beautifly.

"Autiflyyy! Beau!" Beautifly was hit and fell to the ground.

"Beautifly, are you all right?" May asked concernedly.

"Ho Hum! That was easy. I expected a lot more from you than that," Drew sighed disappointedly.

"Beautifly, you gotta get up now!" May pleaded. "Beautifly please…."

Drew flicked a forelock out of his eye, "Roselia, finish it off with Magical Leaf," he said boredly.

"Roseeee!" Roselia raise its rose-covered hands in the air and begins to spin.

"Please Beautifly, wake up!" May begs.

Angelina watches Beautifly open its eyes, then stares up worriedly as Roselia continues to spin and fires out glowing leaves from its blue rose-covered hand.

"Silver Wind, Beautifly! Let's go!" May roared authoritatively.

Beautifly takes the air and blasts white crescents of light that smash into Roselia's Magical Leaf.

"No way!" Drew gasped in shock, watching Beautifly's attack send Roselia tumbling backwards through the air. "No, Roselia!"

"Awesome, Beautifly!" May praised happily.

"Way to go, May!" Ash and Max cheer.

"That was great!" Angelina smiled, then she saw the Bluk berry branch being tugged away. "Hey, what's going on?"

A Meowth-shaped balloon appeared with Jessie and James standing on it, holding a fishing rod with the branch attached.

"Prepare for trouble as we reel 'em in!"

"Make it double... we win!"

"You again!" Angelina yelled, but she was ignored.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Team Rocket blasts off with the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

"**WOBBUH-FFET!"**

"Team Rocket!" Ash, Max, and Brock yelled, May and Angelina stood behind them just as angered.

"Give those berries back!" May demanded.

"Oh sure! We'll give these Bluk berries right back to you after everything we've been through to get them!" Jessie mocked; her, James, and Meowth were hunched over. "Ha! Sorry, tough Bluk!"

"Yeah, looks like the Bluk's on our side!" James added.

"So now it's goodbye, an…. Good Bluk!" Meowth said as the balloon begins to float away.

"Wait!" Ash yelled; running with Max and Brock.

May turned to Drew, "This battle is over; we know someone who needs those Bluk berries!" then she runs off.

Angelina was about to follow, but then she didn't want to leave her friend behind, "C'mon, they'll need our help."

Drew stared at her confusedly, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, the more the merrier," Angelina said, grabbing his hand. "Now come on!"

They ran down the road and finally caught up with Ash and friends; Ash's Pikachu fires off a bolt of lightning, but the attack was absorbed by the satellite dish on Team Rocket's balloon.

"NOTHING!" Team Rocket laughs mockingly.

"SOLAR BEAM!" Drew cried, his Roselia fired off a white beam that shatters the satellite dish.

"Not our Zap Back Mach 2!" Team Rocket screamed.

Angelina laughed happily; her brother and friends look behind in surprise.

"Not sure what's going on, but happy to assist!" Drew grins, and gave a thumbs up.

"All right, Pikachu! Thunderbolt'em again!" Ash commanded.

"Roselia, Solar Beam!" Drew ordered.

Pikachu released another electrical bolt while Roselia fired a white beam; both attacks made the Meowth balloon explode and sends Team Rocket blasting off, but then the Bluk berry branch falls toward the ground.

"Oh no!" everyone yelled.

"The Bluk berries!" Ash shouted.

May's Torchic chases after the berry branch; everyone watches in awe as the little Pokemon jumps through the air and catches it, but realizes its over a cliff.

"Beautifly, use String Shot!" May ordered quickly.

Torchic was rescued and landed safely once more in May's arms, "My little Torchic. Oh, I'm so proud of you."

"You were great too, Roselia," Drew added, recalling his Pokemon and puts up the Pokeball.

"Thanks for helping us, Drew," May said.

"No need to thank me," Drew smirks, flicking his hair. "Ya know what, we'll battle in a real contest; that is, assuming you can make your way to the preliminary round first." then he walks away.

"Count on it, Mister!" May grins.

Angelina giggled; she turned to her brother and friends, "I'll see you guys later," she waved and then heads down the road to catch up with Drew.

Later that night, Angelina and Drew meet up with Jeremy and Christina; they head down to the beach for a surprise display of Pokemon fireworks which is privately seen by: Mr. Big, the Contest Chairman, and Ash and friends.

Angelina was sitting on the metal fence with Chocolate in her lap, Drew was leaning against it on her right while Jeremy was on her left, and Christina stood in front.

"Nice way to end the day, huh?" Angelina asked, watching a Treecko firework go off.

"Couldn't have said it any better," Drew agreed.

As our heroes gaze up at a sky decorated with beautiful Pokemon, they grow anxious for their friend's participation in the upcoming Pokemon Contest.

**§To Be Continued§**

The first time this episode aired (which was almost three years ago, I think), I didn't like Drew at all since he had a Gary-like attitude toward May, but I had a change-of-mind when watching the other contest episodes and decided to put him in this story as Angel's traveling companion. Ash's gang and Team Rocket also make their appearance, and Angelina captures a shiny Feebas. Thanks for reading, leave a comment, and I shall return with the next chapter! Later!


	17. Win, Lose, or Drew

Hello! Here's the next chapter; its similarly based on (yet again) another episode, 'Win, Lose, or Drew', but with my ideas, too! I don't own Pokemon except my ideas and characters, enjoy!

**Chapter 17: Win, Lose, or Drew**

Angelina, Drew, Jeremy, and Christina walk through the streets of Slateport City in the early morning two weeks later. Since it was their last day on vacation for a while, they decided to spend it together.

"Hey Angel, how about a practice match?" Jeremy offered. "We haven't battled in a long while and there's plenty of time before the Pokemon Contest starts."

"Sure, let's battle now," Angelina said.

"Okay," Jeremy winked. He then looked over at Drew, "You and Christina going to watch us?"

"Sure," Drew nodded, "I'll judge the battle, and this should be good entertainment."

Jeremy and Angelina took their places apart in Slateport Square; of course a few local children came to watch the battle while Drew judged. Two Pokemon each with no time limit was the guidelines.

"Scizor go!" Jeremy chunked a Pokeball and called out his Pokemon; the red bug creature with incredible agility known in the Pokemon World as Scizor!

"Your Scyther evolved," Angelina noted while enlarging her Pokeball, "Go Crimson!" she called out her fire-fox Pokemon.

"Begin!" Drew called, standing apart from the two trainers. He was in front of Christina, the other children, and other watchers in the crowd.

"Flamethrower!" Angelina commanded.

"Dodge with Agility!"

"Vulllll!" the Fox Pokemon exhaled a jet of red and yellow flames, however Scizor leapt into the air and dodged the flame, which died down quickly. Scizor then landed gentle and buzzed it's metallic wings in the wind.

"Fine! Use Ember!" Angelina tried.

"Swords Dance!" Jeremy countered.

"Vulllll!" Crimson blew out some shards of flames, but Scizor was ahead of the game. The Pincer Pokemon was constantly spinning around, deflecting the embers into the air.

"Scizor may have a huge weakness to Fire moves but with the correct speed and move combos it can't get touched!" Jeremy mocked, "Now use Silver Wind!"

"Sci! Sci! Zor! Zor!" the metallic red bug turned it's wings into a brighter silver color and then flapped a powerful zephyr, which blew into Crimson's face and knocked back the Fire-type Pokemon a few inches.

"Get up!" Angelina said worried, "Uhm –try using Will-o-Wisp!"

"Vul!" Crimson instantly recovered from the attack and exhaled a violet-black jet composed of flames, the wisps hit the ground and spun up into Scizor's chest area, throwing the Pincer Pokemon back a few feet, however Scizor flapped it's wings and caught balance before falling.

"Good recover," Jeremy commented, "But not good enough! Scizor, use Mimic!"

Scizor closed it's eyes and recalled Crimson's previous move. "Zor!" It opened it's two claws and shot out violet-black flames in the forms of beams, which smacked into Crimson and sent the Fox Pokemon flying back into the air.…

"Now grab Vulpix and finish it off with Aerial Ace!" Jeremy ordered.

"Zor!" the red bug flapped up it's wings and flew out, it latched onto Crimson's tail with it's right claw. "Scizor!" it flew into the air and threw Crimson down at the ground. Crimson had no choice; her body was quickly slammed into the concrete ground, leaving an imprint in the cement.

"No!" Angelina cried. The smoke cleared and Crimson laid on the ground with swirls for eyes.

"Vulpix is out!" Drew announced.

_**I came from Pallet Town  
With a brand new world to see  
I don't know what's ahead  
But it won't get the best of me**_

_**There's so much to learn  
And battles to be won  
I've advanced so far  
But still there's always more to come **_

_**Take a step and I'm on my way  
Gonna start all over again**_

_**I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Pokemon Advance  
(I'm on my way)  
I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Give me just one chance**_

_**And the future will decide  
If there's a hero buried deep inside**_

_**I wanna be a hero  
Pokemon!**_

"Thanks dear," Angelina whispered to her Pokeball after she withdrew Crimson, she latched it up and grabbed another Pokeball. "Spritz go!" she called out the Aqua-Rabbit Pokemon, who had a smile etched on her small face.

"How cute! An Azumarill!" a girl from the crowd called out.

"Water Gun!"

"Azuuuu!" the Aqua-Rabbit spat out a jet of crystal clear blue water, which damped Scizor's metallic hide and did a fair amount of damage. However Scizor wasn't about to give up just yet, and neither was Jeremy!

"Another Water Gun!"

"Protect now!" Jeremy came back.

Spritz bellowed out another jet of H2O while Scizor put together it's claws and called forth a shield composed of star shaped energies. The water hit the stars and was deflected, leaving Scizor completely safe and unharmed.

"Spritz, don't give up!" Angelina cheered, "Use a Water Pulse!"

"Azumarilllllll!" the Aqua-Rabbit Pokemon waited a minute and then shot out an O-ring of water at Scizor, it was a successful hit. The swirling water rings caused Scizor to loose sense of the norm; the Bug/Steel type was confused.

"Snap out now! Use Slash!" Jeremy ordered with a sense of insecurity in his voice.

"Sci!" the Pincer Pokemon tried to focus, it then slashed down with it's right claw at what it thought was Spritz. However Scizor it the concrete ground and cracked open the concrete while Spritz fired off a jet of water and knocked Scizor on it's back with crossed out eyes.

"Scizor is unable to continue!" Drew declared.

Jeremy silently recollected Scizor and enlarged another Pokeball, "Go Swampert!" from the white flash formed the Mud Fish Pokemon. "Use Iron Tail!"

Swampert conjured up a silver glow into it's fin/tail, "Pert!" he brought down it's steel tail down on Spritz, however in the last second the Aqua-Rabbit Pokemon jumped back, causing Swampert to crush more of the concrete on the ground.

"Spritz, use Roll Out!"

Spritz jumped into the air and curled into a ball, then after a quick second, she smashed into Swampert's slimy abs area, causing the final form of Mudkip to cough up some mud from it's mouth. Spitz uncurled and landed safely while Swampert rubbed it's red stomach.

"Slap it, Swampert!"

"Swamp!" the Water/Ground type brought down the palm of it's right hand into Spritz's face, sending the Aqua-Rabbit Pokemon back a few feet, still able to fight however.

"Try using Water Gun!" Angelina commanded.

"Mirror Coat!" Jeremy counteracted.

Spritz blew out a jet of blue water, however Swampert was glowing a rainbow shade and reflected the jet, smacking into Spritz's soft stomach spot and sending the Aqua-Rabbit Pokemon onto its back.

"Finish it with Body Slam!" Jeremy ordered, his eyes narrowed and raging.

"Pert!" Swampert jumped into the air and landed on Spritz's body with all of the Water/Ground type's full weight. After a few seconds it stood up and revealed the knocked out Azumarill.

"Jeremy is the winner of this battle!" Drew affirmed.

"Good try," Angelina smiled and withdrew Spritz, putting up the Pokeball on her belt.

Jeremy calmed down quickly with the win. "Great job, Swampert!" he withdrew it and put up the Pokeball on his belt. He walked up to Angelina and shook her hand, "Good battle."

"You too," Angelina accepted and smiled.

The crowd clapped and eventually died down, no remains of the battle except the cracked concrete ground and the memories with the people of Slateport.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

The quartet were walking toward Slateport's Contest Hall once after Angelina and Jeremy healed their Pokemon from the previous battle. They were now looking forward to Drew's participation in the Slateport Pokemn Contest.

"You had me worried," Jeremy laughed, "I thought Azumarill was going to win the whole battle for you!"

"Well maybe, but I still need to train more with my Pokemon," Angelina informed. "And they're my friends; so everything is good, they haven't let me down before."

"Uh-you just lost," Drew said, walking through the doors of the contest hall.

"But Crimson and Spritz did a great job, that's all I ask of them," Angelina winked. "Winning isn't everything, it's about having fun and being friends with your Pokemon."

"Really now?" Drew smirked. "Okay, I'll see you guys later." He waved and walked off toward the waiting room.

Angelina, Jeremy, and Christina take their seats in the audience as an orange-haired woman wearing a pink dress announced herself as Vivian Viridian, the MC. Then introducing the judges: Director of the Contest Committee Mr. Contesta, Sukizo from the Pokemon Enthusiasts Club, and the last judge was Slateport City's Nurse Joy.

The contest begins as Vivian explains to the audience that Co-ordinators and Pokemon are marked on the performance qualities of the acts they've worked on; everyone applauds in amazement.

"Next up is contestant 24! His friends all know him as Drew!" Vivian announced as a spotlight shines on the green-haired boy.

Drew flips his hair and throws out a Pokeball, "Oh yeah? Roselia, go! Use Petal Dance!"

Roselia appears and begins its attack; pink leaves and glistening light float everywhere.

"Roselia takes the stage with a simply gorgeous Petal Dance! Just fabulous!" Vivian comments as Roselia lands neatly on the ground, the petals falling around it.

"Next, use Stun Spore!"

Roselia spins, sending out brown spores into the air.

"Add Magical Leaf!"

Roselia fires out glowing leaves from its rose-covered hands, filling the air with dust and white light; the crowd cheers.

"Outstanding! Magical Leaf and Stun Spore!" Vivian said excitedly. "They've completely won over this audience with their precise teamwork!"

Roselia stands, surrounded by its performed attacks.

"Wow, that's pretty…." Angelina awed.

"Pika…." Chocolate agreed.

"And now it's time to finish up," Drew said. "Roselia, use Petal Dance!"

Roselia creates the attack and disappears into the storm of pink petals, everyone gasped in shock.

"Magical Leaf!" Drew commanded.

Glowing leaves slice through the pink petals, shredding them into falling confetti. Roselia reappears; bowing in synch with Drew as the crowd cheers estastically.

Drew flicks his hair, smirking, "Perfect. What d'you expect?"

"So now we await the judges' opinion of that excellent performance." Vivian said as the scores appear on the judges' panels: 9.7, 9.9, and 9.7; the total showed on the large view screen. "Twenty-nine point four! That's the highest score yet!" she then holds out her microphone to Nurse Joy. "Your comments?"

"That was a great combination!" Nurse Joy said.

"Uh, it was remarkable!" Sukizo added.

"And as for me, I was impressed with their great use of the entire stage," Contesta finished.

The preliminaries continued on as more Co-ordinators and their Pokemon performed.

"And now, the next Co-ordinator to take the stage: number 38! Robert!" Vivian announced; a blonde-haired man wearing a dark purple suit stepped forward and tossed out a Pokeball.

The white light revealed a peach colored sea serpent-like Pokemon with a red-and-blue scaled tail, long red-colored hair-like appendages, curled antennas, and crimson eyes.

"That's a Milotic," Jeremy told his awestruck friends; the Pokemon glows green and waves its peacock-like tail through the air. "It's using Safeguard."

"With its dazzling appearance, combined with its awesome technique, Milotic has the whole stadium enraptured!" Vivian explained.

Angelina continues to stare in wonder, then takes out her Pokedex.

'_**Milotic, the Tender Pokemon,' **_Dexette said. _**'Milotic is able to soften human anger and hatred by emitting soothing frequencies from its body.'**_

"Folks, there's only one contestant left in the preliminaries, and that's entry number 50!" Vivian told the audience. "May, you're up!"

Angelina shook off her dazed expression, "It's May, I almost forgot!" she recognized the brunette walk into the arena and stands next to Vivian.

"This is May's first time participating in a Pokemon contest," Vivian informed. "So let's give her a warm welcome and watch her Pokemon's elegant entry."

The crowd cheers, but May looks utterly terrified.

"Not good, I think she's overwhelmed by the stadium!" Jeremy observed.

"Just calm down, May!" yelled a voice from the crowd.

Angelina blinked confusedly, "Can't be, was that Ash?"

"Yep, up there," Jeremy pointed toward the back and behind the railing; there was a young black haired boy wearing a red cap with a Pikachu on his shoulder, he was standing next to a little boy with glasses and an older guy with spiky brown hair.

"C'mon, let's go see them!" Angelina said, leaving her seat and climbing the steps. She halted her walking when hearing everyone; catching a glimpse of May falls backwards.

"Oh, no! May!" Max cried.

Vivian hurries over, "Oh, no! Are you all right, dear?"

May takes Vivian's hand and gets to her feet, "I'm fine. That was just a little warm up," she laughed, then throws out the Pokeball. "Now, Beautifly! It's time for you to take the stage!"

Beautifly appears and spreads its wings, which glisten in the light.

"Wow! Beautifly's marvelous wings really do catch your eye," Vivian admired.

"String Shot!" May shouted, throwing out a frisbee and Beautifly sends it back with its silverish-stringy attack; they knock it back and forth again and again.

"All right, she's got the hang of it now!" Ash declared.

"Yeah, way to go, May!" Max cheered.

"Ah, those are some nice effects!" Brock praised. "She's completely focused on her timing with Beautifly and got her nerve back!"

"I'm proud of her, too," Angelina agreed, her brother and his friends look over in surprise. "Okay if we join you?" she asked while Chocolate chatted up a storm with Ash's Pikachu.

"Yeah, sure!" Ash said, then he saw Jeremy and Christina approach.

"Hey Ash," Jeremy greeted. "It's been a long while! How's the journey?"

"Yeah, nice to see you again!" Ash said, shaking Jeremy's hand. "I earned two badges and I got a great team of Pokemon!"

Christina noticed Max watching her curiously. "Hi there! I'm Angelina's sister, Christina. What's your name?"

"I'm May's brother, Max. So were you that cute girl at the Crystalline concert with the Smoochum?" he asked, blushing.

Christina giggled, "Yep, I've got a Charmander and a Totodile, too!"

"Oh cool!" Max awed. "I wanna see them after the contest!"

"How cute!" Angelina observed the two children. "I'll have to schedule them play-dates with May."

"And speaking of dates, I'm free anytime for you," Brock grinned hopefully, holding the girl's hand gently.

Angelina blushed, "Oh? Uhm…. That sounds really nice, but I…." She caught Jeremy watching her with a knowing smile. "-will let you know later, k? Things may change with our journeys."

"Yeah, you're right," Brock agreed.

"Time to finish this up, right? Silver Wind, go!" May shouted, her Beautifly flaps its wings and released white crescents of light. "Go into a spin!" her Pokemon spins, creating a sparkling silver votex.

"I don't believe my eyes!" Vivian gasped. "Beautifly is completely surrounded by its own spiraling Silver Wind! It almost looks like Beautifly's been wrapped in a gorgeous silver robe!"

"She did it!" Ash said happily.

"And that's got to be the prettiest Silver Wind she's ever done!" Max added.

"Pi-kachu!" Chocolate and Ash's Pikachu cheered.

"I think Beautifly was born to be on stage," Brock noted.

"Drew better watch out! He's got competition!" Jeremy grinned while Angelina nodded.

Beautifly flutters down and lands on May's shoulder. She takes a bow with her arms spread, holding onto Beautifly's wings. The crowd applauds loudly.

"So, let's find out what our judges thought of May and Beautifly's performance." Vivian held out her microphone once more.

"Very good for a first time," Nurse Joy said.

"Yes, she's got a bright future ahead of her," Contesta agreed.

"I'd say she's just remarkable," Sukizo added.

The judges scores flash up: 8.1, 8.3, and 8.5; the total score, 24.9, appears on the large view screen.

"And their final score is a twenty-four point nine!" Vivian told the applauding crowd. "That ends our preliminary competition. In a moment, we'll be announcing who will move onto the second round."

Angelina sneaks away unnoticed while her friends talked, she walked backstage to visit May and Drew. Standing in the doorway, she saw Drew hold out a red rose and May blushes as she took it.

"Not for you— it's for your Beautifly!" Drew informed. "It's obvious that the co-ordinator still has a lot of training to do." He turns away, flipping his hair.

May jumps up, "Well, I guess we all can't be as good as you!" she snapped angrily.

"You tell him, May!" Angelina said, walking towards her two friends. "Not everyone is perfect, we all strive to be the best we can despite the hardest of obstacles in our way!"

"Geas, sorry if I touched a nerve," Drew said sarcastically.

"You'll be on my **last** if you don't knock it off!" Angelina threatened furiously, her friend slightly scared.

"Now the results are in!" Vivian announced, appearing on the TV screen. "And I thank you all for your patience." the scoreboard flashes up the pictures of the eight finalists— among them; May, Drew, and Robert. "These eight Co-ordinators move onto the next round."

May gasped in delight while Drew stares in surprise, "You made it!" he then smirked, "Because—"

May glared crossly, "I know, you want to say it was all because of Beautifly," then she clasps her hands giddly, "Oh, who cares! My Beautifly and I are moving onto the secondaries!"

Angelina smiled, "Congrats, and the best of luck to you both!"

"The contestants are now being randomly chosen to see who they will be facing in battle," Vivian informed as the pictures on the scoreboard are being scrambled. Then they stop moving, showing the match-ups for the next round. "And the results are in!"

"Don't tell me!" "Oh no!" May and Angelina cried in unison; they stare at the screen in shock, May and Drew's pictures were side by side.

"Hmm! Me against you? That'll be fun!" Drew smirked, May glares at him.

Angelina returns out front and joins her other friends at the top of the stands. On the scoreboard is a 5-minute timer beneath May and Drew's pictures; both Co-ordinators stand at opposite ends of the battlefield.

"The second round consists of contest battles." Vivian announced, standing in the middle and off to the side with the judges. "Our contestants will have five minutes to show the judges their battling performance ability. And now, our battle on the first stage will begin!"

Drew flicks his hair and throws a Pokeball, "Roselia, let's go, now!"

"Beautifly, take the stage!" May threw out her Pokeball.

"Beautifly's a bug-type, and Roselia's a grass-type," Ash said.

"And just based on that alone, Beautifly's got a humungous advantage," Max added.

"Magical Leaf, Roselia!" Drew commanded.

"Beautifly, Gust!" May countered.

Roselia fires out white crescents of light at Beautifly, whom blows away the attack with a gust of wind.

"Great, she sents'em right back!" Jeremy grinned.

"Don't ever mess around with me," Drew warned, smirking as the glowing leaves twist around and zoom straight toward Beautifly.

"Quick, dodge it!" Ash yelled.

"May, call your move!" Brock shouted.

"MAY!" Max and Angelina screamed.

The glowing leaves hit Beautifly and smack it roughly.

"Beautifly, no!" May cried.

Roselia lands gracefully on the ground.

"You see, Magical Leaf's the kind of attack that always hits its mark," Drew explained. "You could never repel it with a simple Gust— I'm sorry to have to tell you that."

May's point bar goes down some on the scoreboard.

"This is bad— she's losing points," Max said worriedly.

"Yeah, well, I think she was fooled by that Magical Leaf," Brock advised. "She's not used to battling."

"It's my fault," Ash frowned. "I wish I'd spend more time with May, teaching her."

"Roselia, use Stun Spore!" Drew ordered.

Roselia twirls and sends a blast of brown spores over Beautifly.

"That Stun Spore is really coming down on Beautifly!" Vivan commented.

"Now Beautifly, use String Shot!" May called, her Pokemon fires a silverish string, which disperses the spore attack.

"Go, Magical Leaf!" Drew shouted, the glowing crescents from Roselia slice up the string.

"Oh, it's not looking good…." Angelina fretted.

"I know…." Brock agreed. "Her timing and her attacks are way off their mark."

May's points on the scoreboard goes down even further.

"Okay Beautifly, Silver Wind!" May said desperately.

"Use Petal Dance!' Drew countered.

Beautifly sends out glowing crescents, but Roselia by spinning in the air and creating a gust of pink petals, then sending the petals hurling towards Beautifly.

"Move up to dodge it!" May shouted, her Pokemon managed to soar out of the way in time.

"Roselia, Solar Beam!" Drew commanded.

Roselia lifts its rose-hands high and begins to draw in light.

"Now Roselia's preparing to launch a Solar Beam!" Vivian informed. "As it uses the last remaining moments to gather as much energy as possible, this could be the end!"

Angelina glanced up at the scoreboard, there's only two minutes left to battle. "Hey May, attack **now**!"

"Beautifly, use String Shot!" May called again.

Beautifly fires out a silverish string and speeds through the air, Roselia opens its eyes and launches a multicolored beam.

"What beautiful colors!" Contesta praised.

"Oh my gosh! That's remarkable!" Sukizo exclaimed.

The Solar Beam smashes into Beautifly.

"BEAUTIFLY!" May's friends gasped.

"Wow, the most powerful grass-type attack, and a direct hit!" Vivian awed while Beautifly looks very beaten-up and sinks to the ground.

"Beautifly, hang in there, please!" May begged, but a loud buzzer goes off as the judges' panels display yellow crosses on their view screens.

"It's battle-off for Beautifly!" Vivian declared.

"What's battle-off?" Ash asked.

"The judges' rule that the battle is over," Jeremy explained.

"That's too bad," Angelina said.

"Drew and Roselia should proceed to the second stage immediately," Vivian informed.

Drew takes a bow, flicks his hair, then turns and leaves. May kneels on the ground behind Beautifly.

"So that's it…. I guess May lost," Max assumed.

"Looks like contest battles are real battles after all," Ash muttered. "You lose that and you've lost the whole thing."

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "That Roselia of Drew's was pretty amazing."

Back in the dressing room, May sits on a bench shaking with her hands clenched in her lap with tears falling on them. Angelina sat next to her, while Christina held Chocolate and stood next to Max, and the other guys (Jeremy, Brock, and Ash) stood nearby.

"I'm so sorry, May," Max sympathized.

"I stink! I couldn't do a thing!" May sobbed. "To think that my Beautifly worked so hard out there…. all I did was totally mess everything up. I feel awful!"

Angelina hugged the girl, "It's okay," she soothed.

"You know, the only thing I could think about was how much fun it would be if I entered a Pokemon contest, and to perform side by side with Beautifly," May explained. "But I never thought how hard it would be to lose!"

"It hurts, May." Brock agreed.

"Yeah, it hurts a lot," Jeremy added.

Suddenly, they hear a dull roar; everyone looks over to see Drew and Roselia on TV.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're three minutes into the second match." Vivian informed. "Roselia defeated Beautfly without taking a hit, but it's a different story against Milotic's awesome strength."

Drew's confidence has disappeared; he and Roselia both look worried, unlike Robert and Milotic whom are cool and collected.

"Milotic, let's give Iron Tail a try!" Robert ordered.

The water serpent's tail glows white and begins to wave from side to side, then it strikes, sending Roselia flying.

"Roselia! Magical Leaf, now!" Drew yelled, the grass/poison Pokemon rights itself in midair and fires glowing crescents.

"All right, Milotic. Use Twister." Robert calmly said.

A whirlwind bursts from the tip of Milotic's tail, blasting the Magical Leaf away; the leaves fall around a stunned Roselia just as the timer runs out. Robert still has most of his points left; Drew only has a sliver.

"Time's up! Robert and Milotic will proceed onto the final battle!" Vivian declared. "Milotic managed to combine overwhelming power with beauty and style, in perfect synchronicity with its trainer, Robert."

Everyone was shocked, including an open-mouthed May.

"Unbelievable— Drew lost," Ash said.

"I know!" Max nodded. "Milotic's super-strong."

"I guess there's always going to be someone who's better, right?" Brock reputed.

Christina stepped forward, still holding Chocolate. "Can we go find Drew? He may need us."

Later that evening, Robert stands on the podium being presented with the Slateport ribbon (green with a gold pin) by Contesta. Milotic stands behind him, and confetti falls around them while the crowd applauds wildly.

"And now the coveted Slateport ribbon is presented to Robert and his Milotic!" Vivian told the cheering crowd.

Ash and friends stand on the balcony while Angelina's gang had found Drew and were sitting in the final row of seats.

"Which means, the Slateport City Pokemon contest is officially over!" Vivian informed just as Drew gets up and walks away along the row of seats. "Until next time!"

Angelina and Jeremy saw this, they and Christina decided to leave; Ash and friends had joined them.

"Drew!" May called, running out the door; her friends following.

"What is it, May? You want a rematch?" Drew asked, his hands in his pockets.

May smiled determinedly, "Next time, I won't be the loser!"

Drew smiled back, "Huh. Oh, yeah? We'll just see. Of course, I'll be a lot stronger too, remember. Right!" he flicks his hair out of his eye and then walks away with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Bye Max!" Christina said, then she chased after her friend into the sunset, "Hey Drew, wait up!"

"Bye Christina!" Max waved happily. "Can't wait to see your Pokemon next time!"

Angelina smiled, "Yeah, we'll plan a hang out," she told Ash and friends, then walks away with Jeremy. "Later, you guys!"

**§To Be Continued§**

Since I didn't have this episode taped, it was hard to plan out the chapter, so I had to search online for a full episode summary with quotes! Nonetheless, I did have fun! Thanks for reading! I'll be back with chapter 18 soon!


	18. Slowpoking Around

Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter; not based on an episode! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas, enjoy!

**Chapter 18: Slowpoke-ing Around**

The afternoon sun shone on the long black road that ran through the middle of a large crystal lake. The warm summer breeze was gently dying down to a slow halt. Only the sound of our heroes' footsteps and the occasional splashes of the lake echoed around the area. Angelina gave a wide smile—she was glad to be out on the road again. The more they traveled, the closer she got to her gym match. Chocolate walked along side her trainer.

On such a clear, warm day, there's no better time to be out on the road once more. Angelina and her friends travel down the road without a worry. But should they be more cautious as to where they are going?

_**I came from Pallet Town  
**__**With a brand new world to see  
**__**I don't know what's ahead  
**__**But it won't get the best of me**_

_**There's so much to learn  
**__**And battles to be won  
**__**I've advanced so far  
**__**But still there's always more to come **_

_**Take a step and I'm on my way  
**__**Gonna start all over again**_

_**I wanna be a hero (hero)  
**__**Pokemon Advance  
**__**(I'm on my way)  
**__**I wanna be a hero (hero)  
**__**Give me just one chance**_

_**And the future will decide  
**__**If there's a hero buried deep inside**_

_**I wanna be a hero  
**__**Pokemon!**_

Jeremy clicked around the buttons on his Poke-Gear. The screen blinked with a map of the Hoenn Region.

"Yeah! I'm so glad to be back on the road again!" Angelina exclaimed, leading the way.

"According to the map, we should stick to this road and cut around the mini forest to Mauville City." Jeremy magnified their area with the click of a button.

Angelina clenched her fists and thrust one into the air. "I can't wait! This is so exciting!" she shouted; her friends sister smiled. She felt her adrenaline elevate greatly—the closer to Mauville City she got, the more excited she became.

"This should be good for you, Angel. You haven't caught any new Pokemon in a while." Drew said as they walked on.

"Who knows what kinds of new Pokemon we've never seen before lie out there? That's what keeps this journey exciting." Angelina smirked.

From up ahead, there was a loud splashing sound followed by sparkling drops of water flying into the air. "Huh?" The group averted their attention. Since the entire road was bordered by lake water at east and west, drops fell onto the path easily.

A pink creature sluggishly pulled up onto the side of the road. It was pudgy with a light-peach muzzle, dopey eyes, and curly ears. The quadruped Pokemon sluggishly pulled its white-tipped tail out of the water.

"Speaking of new Pokemon." A smile spread on Angelina's face. She reached into her backpack and withdrew her Pokedex.

'**_Slowpoke, the Dopey Pokemon. Slowpoke is considered the sloth of the Pokemon world. However, its slowness is made up by the strong mental abilities it possesses. Slowpoke's specialty is fishing with its tail, which can double as a sweet snack.'_** Dexette stated.

"Good, then I'll capture it." Angelina reached at her belt and pulled off a Pokeball. Her eyes flickered with a flame as she stared into Slowpoke's dopey pupils. Not one of them dared to blink once. "You ready, Slowpoke? I'm going to battle and capture you—You're a perfect Pokemon for me. Precious, I choose —"

"Go, Totodile!" Suddenly, Christina jumped up in front of Angelina and tossed a Pokeball to the ground. It bounced off of the road and burst open in a flash of light.

"Toto-to-todile!" Totodile seemed chipper to be out of its Pokeball.

"Ah!" Angelina fell to the ground anime style. "Tina, what are you doing?" she wailed.

"I'm about to capture this Slowpoke." Christina's face went serious.

"Are you serious?! I was obviously going to catch it!" Angelina shouted.

But instead of shouting back, Christina stayed focus on Slowpoke. "You and Jeremy do all the catching around here. It's my turn to catch a new Pokemon." she pointed to her opponent, "Slowpoke, I challenge you to a battle—?!?

"Slllloowwwwww," Slowpoke sluggishly turned around and started to walk away.

"Hey! Don't run away while I'm talking to you!" Christina waved her arm frantically.

"Totodile!" Totodile folded its arms impatiently.

"Go on, use your Water Gun attack, Totodile." Christina ordered.

"Toto!" Totodile jumped up into the air and made a gurgling sound as it hurled a blast of water from its jaws.

Slowpoke turned its head slowly. **_SPLAAASHHHEEE!_** It staggered a bit from the force before flying onto its side with a thud.

"It…didn't even try to defend." Christina gave a puzzled look. She couldn't help, but feel that Slowpoke wasn't really taking her seriously.

Totodile landed softly on the ground and folded its arms.

"Fine then; you just make it that much easier!" Christina shouted.

"Man, she seriously wants to catch that Slowpoke." "I wanted to catch it." Angelina mumbled, frowning at Jeremy.

"Okay, Totodile, go for a scratch attack!"

"Heh-heh!" Totodile let the sun glare off of its shiny claws.

Slowpoke rose to its feet droopily, letting out a yawn.

"Toto—!" Totodile ran up to it with its claws drawn, "Dile-dile-dile-dile-dile-ha!" It repeatedly clawed at it swiftly, but not quick enough to become a Fury Swipes attack.

Slowpoke winced at the pain, but still did nothing to prevent it. It just stood there and took the attack.

"Now finish this up with your Headbutt!" Christina exclaimed.

Totodile jumped back to create distance between itself and its opponent. It stamped the ground with its foot and rushed towards Slowpoke with its head lowered. The sound of rushing wind jetted through the air from the swirl of speed. **_DATHUMPP!_** Totodile rammed its head into slowpoke's side.

"Slowwwww!" Slowpoke slid across the black road.

"That Slowpoke isn't even putting up a fight." Drew said.

Angelina clinched her fist and grinned, "Oh, it's putting up a fight-a bigger one than Christina might think." she told him.

"Slowpoke," Slowpoke got back to its feet, but this time, with a more firm attitude. It's eyes turned serious as it stared directly at Totodile. "Slooowwwwww—" Suddenly, Slowpoke's body lit up with a luminous light. Several spheres of lustrous energy started to circle around it furiously.

"Slowpoke's Hidden Power!" Angelina and Jeremy exclaimed.

"Hidden—what?" Drew and Christina sweated anime style.

"Popppleee!" The spheres bolted away from Slowpoke in a circular motion; Totodile was struck harshly and sent flying through the air.

"Diiileeee!" "No way!" Christina blinked. Totodile landed into the water with a giant splash that sent water raining from the sky.

"Slowpoke," Slowpoke let out a yawn and curled up in the middle of the road. It closed its eyes and was soon fast asleep.

"Hey!! You can't just sleep in the middle of a fight!" Christina shouted, her temple beating anime style.

Totodile came crawling out of the water and shook itself dry.

"….Pooooke!" Slowpoke's body suddenly started to vibrate. It's snores became heavier and heavier each time it breathed. The sound wave traveled along the ground, literally crashing into Christina's Pokemon.

"Totodile! Toto-toto!" Totodile fell backwards onto the road.

Christina felt the ground tremble underneath her from the intensity of the attack. "Wow; that was a Snore attack…..?" She blinked at first, then grinned. Just the thought of an attack like that made her want to catch Slowpoke even more. Not for its sheer power, but because of how surprising its attacks came. "Totodile, are you okay? Can you keep going?" Christina asked her Pokemon. Totodile jumped up to its feet energetically and flashed a thumbs-up. "Good! Use Bite attack!"

"Totodile!" Totodile opened up its wide jaws, revealing its rows of sharp teeth. Slowpoke rolled over in its sleep, revealing its backside. Totodile's jaws clamped around Slowpoke's tail in an unbreakable vice-like grip.

"Slow!" Slowpoke's eyes suddenly shot open, pain surging through its ultra-sensitive tail. It stood up abruptly and started repeatedly shaking its tail wildly. Totodile's grip was practically unshakeable—it wasn't about to let go for anything. "Slowpoke-slowpoke-slowpoke-slowpoke!"

"Good job, Totodile; keep it up!" Christina cheered.

Slowpoke closed its eyes and launched off its lustrous Hidden Power technique. One of the spheres pelted Totodile in the stomach, causing its mouth to open in its cough.

"Retaliate with Water Gun!"

"Totodile!" Totodile let out a blast of water that forced Slowpoke off its feet; it soared through the air and crash-landed on the ground.

"That was a nice one, Totodile." Christina reached into her backpack and pulled out an empty Pokeball, "Go, Pokeball!" She expanded it before hurling it through the air. The spinning ball bounced slightly against Slowpoke before sucking it up in a red light. Christina watched as the Pokeball wiggled on the road in silence. If it wasn't weak enough, Slowpoke could come bursting out. The flashing button in the middle simmered down its furious blinking to halt. A smile spread across Christina's face and she ran to claim her catch. "Oh, yeah! I caught Slowpoke!" She exclaimed.

Angelina frowned, sweating anime style. "That Slowpoke could've been mine."

They continued down the route; free of most trees, but grass stretched father than the eye could see to the left and right.

"Wish I could run into a new Pokemon," Angelina sighed. "I want to catch some, but I'm debating to use them since I already have a good team."

"Haha, why would you want to catch Pokemon if you're not going to use them?" a girl's voice said.

The gang looked around quickly, but could not see it's source.

"Oh, up there!" Christina said, pointing to their right.

On top a large shale-gray rock was a girl around Ash's age with long black hair that hung freely down her back. She sported black pants and a pink shirt, and was tossing a Pokeball up and down.

"You should only catch Pokemon that you are going to train for your team. There's no point in catching other Pokemon if you're just going to let them rot in your computer. Leave them in the wild, so they can be happier."

Angelina was about to remark, but thought about the girl's words for a moment. **_'Yeah, Pokemon not even used probably would be happier remaining in the wild.'_**

"You have a point, but it would still be nice to make a team now and just alter it a bit as I go on," Angelina agreed.

The girl hopped down off the large rock. "You also have a point. My name is Brie, by the way." She said, tossing some of her hair back. "I'm from Slateport City."

"Angelina, from Pallet Town. I've been Pokemon training for six years, and I'm traveling for the Hoenn badges." Angelina replied. "This is my little sister Christina, and these are my friends, Drew and Jeremy."

Brie nodded to them, then turned to Angelina. "I see, so we're both recognizable to training. So, how many Pokemon do you have anyway?"

"Twenty-three, but I carry six with me now," Angelina said. "You?"

"Four, I've been spending the last two days catching Pokemon. Twenty-three Pokemon for you is awesome." Brie gave a thumbs-up. "So how many Hoenn Pokemon does that include?"

"About four. How many badges do you have?" Angelina smirked.

Brie rolled her eyes. "Two," she said quietly.

"There, we're even, because I'm on my way to earn my third badge. So if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get to Mauville City." Angelina said; she started to take a step forward with her friends, but Brie put her hand out.

"Not so fast. How about a battle?" Brie proposed. "It can be two for both of us, I suppose."

Angelina sighed and nodded, she stepped back about twenty-five feet as Brie took her place on her side. Jeremy refereed the match while Drew and Christina stood to the side watching.

Angelina took out a Pokeball and threw it. "Get in there, Feather!"

"Fine, my turn. Go, Baltoy!" Brie yelled, throwing out a Pokeball. From the white light came an odd tan-colored Pokemon. Its head was vaguely spherical, and it had a spike coming out of the top of the head, like some sort of top. The body was smaller, but was a perfect sphere, and had two flat arms emerging from either side. Another spike emerged from the base of the body. A red circle was printed on the front of the body, and more red markings were on its face.

Angelina took out her Pokedex. **_'Baltoy, the Clay Doll Pokemon. Baltoy moves while spinning around on its one foot. Primitive wall paintings depicting this Pokemon living among people were discovered in some ancient ruins.'_**

"Odd Pokemon…." Angelina said as Baltoy began to hover. "Right. Feather, attack with Wing Attack!" her Taillow flew at Baltoy, wings outstretched.

"Teleport, then Confusion!" Brie called to her levitating Pokemon. As Feather was about to strike Baltoy, it rippled for a second and then vanished. Feather was then suddenly surrounded in a blue-ish haze and slammed onto the ground below. Though it did not do much damage at all, it prevented Baltoy from being hit.

"Feather, your Peck!" Angelina tried. Feather then flew at Baltoy again, but the psychic hybrid repeated the maneuver of teleporting and striking again. "Okay…. then use Swift!" Baltoy repeated his technique. "Ah! Use Sand Attack!" No use.

"Haha!" Brie laughed. "You'll never be able to hit Baltoy when he teleports!" Baltoy then used a new move. It begun to rotate wildly, and tore through the air; striking Feather. The swallow-like Pokemon seemed unseathed, but still, Feather had not gotten a single hit on Baltoy. At this rate, Feather would faint first.

"Razor Wind!" Angelina commanded. Feather attempted to strike Baltoy with razor-sharp wind, but again, it failed. "Feather, do something! Anything! Please!" she pleaded. Feather took flight, getting out of range of Baltoy, and hovered for a few moments. He flapped several times, and stared down at Baltoy, who began teleporting around, taunting the swallow to attack again. Feather looked at Angelina, a look of plea about him, and then narrowed his eyes at the opponent. In an instant, he erupted in black light. It started to swarm upward, surrounding Feather in black fire-like light.

"What's this?" Brie said, confused and a little scared.

Angelina knew, however. She had seen this attack loads of times. "Right. Feather, good move!" she praised. "Pursuit attack!" she yelled. Feather then descended downwards likes a bullet.

"When will you ever learn?" Brie laughed. "Teleport!" the ground-psychic Pokemon teleported again, but this time, Feather halted in mid-flight, as if time froze. Feather then flew forward in some random direction. Baltoy reappeared, only to be met by a mass of force slamming into him. Baltoy sprawled across the ground, only to be struck twice more, which was enough to know the Pokemon out.

"No! You beat my Baltoy. Time for my strongest Pokemon! Go, Stary-u!" Brie yelled, throwing out a Pokeball as the brown starfish-shaped Pokemon appeared. It spun around several times.

"Feather, come back! Go, Shadow!" Angelina yelled as she recalled her Taillow and brought out her Absol.

Brie arched her brow. "Why are you switching Pokemon? Your Taillow still has flight left in it."

"Spreading the experience around. Now go! Quick Attack!" Angelina commanded.

Not ready for the attack, Stary-u was struck quickly by Shadow.

"Fight back with your Water Gun!" Brie countered. Stary-u let out a burst of ice cold water from the top point of it's star-shaped body, drenching Shadow in wet coldness.

"Shadow, Rock Tomb!" Angelina ordered; Shadow then used his strongest attack, entrapping Stary-u in a cage of rock and damaging it.

"Nice move, but Stary-u can get out! Rapid Spin!" Brie yelled. Stary-u did the same move Baltoy did, and burst free of its trap. "Now, Bubblebeam!" Stary-u then fired out a blast of blue-tinted bubbles from it's bright red ruby encrusted in its middle, easily knocking out Shadow.

"Well, that was fast," Angelina said, recalling her Absol.

"Nah, it was a good battle." Brie said, returning her Stary-u as well. "You would have won if you kept Taillow out. We'll consider it a tie. But next time we meet, I will win fair and square!" she laughed.

"All right, until we meet again. Train well, I'm looking forward to it."

Brie nodded, and then they bid farewell, heading in opposite directions; Brie to Petalburg City and Angelina's group to Mauville City.

'**_Interesting,'_** Angelina thought. **_'Now I have a new rival.'_** Then she smiled, continuing down the dirt path with her companions. There were many days ahead of her for collecting Pokemon and badges, but this day couldn't possibly match up to any other.

**§To Be Continued§**

I put in another new character, but I forgot to mention that she's the older sister of Aaron. Then Christina catches a Slowpoke. Okay, thanks for reading! The next chapter will be up soon! 


	19. A Poke Block Party

Hello again! This chapter is similarly based off the episode 'A Poke-Block Party'. I don't own Pokemon except for my characters and ideas. Enjoy!

**Chapter 19: A Poke-Block Party**

What a day— the sun was shining warmly, the breeze was calm, and the clouds created inviting shapes in the sky. The lake was sparkled like jewels, swaying lightly in the breeze. Angelina watched as her, Christina's and Jeremy's Pokemon frolicked around. Swampert, Totodile, and Slowpoke were enjoying a swim in the fresh, cool lake; they giggled as they splashed at each other. Charmander and Precious were near the edge of the lake, taking a drink. All of the other Pokemon were lounging in the grass.

"I'd be in a gym battle right now if we didn't have to stop all the time!" Angelina stated with her arms folded.

"Chill out, Angel," Drew said, relaxing against a tree.

"Yeah, we've been walking all day. We need to take a break sometime or another." Jeremy added.

Angelina walked a little ways away and plopped onto the grass. She was only a few yards from her next gym battle and her friends wanted to stop. If they wanted to stop, they should've just waited till they got to Mauville.

'_**S' not like there's much I can do about it. I might as well take a break too.' **_Angelina thought in defeat. She reached into her shoulder-bag and pulled out her Poke-Gear, clicking the side buttons. Several icons appeared on the screen as she scanned through the different options.

Angelina stopped on the radio icon and pressed the button in the middle. With her earphones jacked into the side, she played the music in her ears, tapping her foot to it. She stared up at the sky, watching the clouds gently float across.

"Vulpix-vul," Crimson let out a yawn as she walked across the soft grass. She trotted over to Angelina with an airy look.

"Are you bored as well, Crimson?" Angelina asked without taking her eyes away from the sky. Crimson nodded and plopped onto her back beside her.

Angelina took one of the earphones from her ear and put it into Crimson's. "Vulpix!" she thanked her and they both tapped their feet to the music.

A couple hours later, the gang was walking through the tree-decorated trail towards Mauville City. All of their Pokemon that belonged in their Pokeballs were returned and replaced. In minutes, the trail dispersed into the bright and vast Mauville City. Christina and Angelina's eyes widened at the large collection of stores and marts that littered the blocks. Tons of people— probably tourists— came out with scores of bags.

Jeremy's attention was really grabbed when he spotted the Pokemon Field store. "I see where I'm headed. You guys head for the Pokemon Center and I'll meet you there." He turned off across the street and onto the other sidewalk.

Angelina, Drew, and Christina watched him trail through the crowd and make their way to the store.

"Well, let's get a move on." "Pika!" Chocolate jumped on Angelina's shoulder as she took the lead. She marched down the sidewalk at such a fast pace that Christina and Drew had to jog lightly to keep up with her.

"Angel, not so fast; we could trip and fall!" Drew said sternly.

"Yeah, I doubt that." Angelina told him with a hint of sarcasm. She knew that Drew was more concerned for Christina.

_**I came from Pallet Town  
With a brand new world to see  
I don't know what's ahead  
But it won't get the best of me**_

_**There's so much to learn  
And battles to be won  
I've advanced so far  
But still there's always more to come **_

_**Take a step and I'm on my way  
Gonna start all over again**_

_**I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Pokemon Advance  
(I'm on my way)  
I wanna be a hero (hero)  
Give me just one chance**_

_**And the future will decide  
If there's a hero buried deep inside**_

_**I wanna be a hero  
Pokemon!**_

Angelina, Drew, and Christina reached the dome-shaped Pokemon Center seconds later. The slowly drifting sun beamed off the red rooftop and white body. Angelina stepped through the automatic glass doors and into the blue building. Now, all she had to do was let Nurse Joy check her Pokemon and her gym battle would be at hand.

"Hey, Angel, check this out." Drew pointed to the sidewall at a white poster.

Angelina's eyes glanced as far back as they could, but the rest of her body didn't move.

"Free Pokemon physicals started today. We should give our Pokemon one." Drew suggested.

Angelina seemed to think for a second before making her decision. "Why not? That way, My Pokemon will be in top form once we get to the gym." she snapped her fingers.

Angelina put her Pokeballs onto a green tray and started towards the front counter. Drew and Christina did the same, following her up.

"Here you go, Nurse Joy." Angelina smiled and Nurse Joy smiled back to her.

"Thank you, now I just need your Pikachu."

"Right," Angelina reached up and grasped Chocolate about the waist. But when she pulled up, she kept a firm grip on her shoulder. She tried again, but her hold became stronger. "Chocolate, stop it!" she growled.

Still, Chocolate refused to surrender herself. "Pikachu-pika," She held her nose in the air.

"Nurse Joy isn't going to hurt you. Don't be such a chicken—It's just a physical; you've been through one before." "Chu!" "Oh, fine then," Angelina reached at her belt and pulled out the rhinestone-stunned Pokeball. "Chocolate, return," "Pika!" A red light shot out and recalled her to her Pokeball. "Could you do me a favor? When you call her out, could you keep her out?"

"Sure thing," Nurse Joy smiled, taking Chocolate's Pokeball. She took up the other two trays and proceeded towards the door in the back.

"We should call Professor Oak and tell him how we're doing?" Christina suggested.

"Might as well since I'd like to trade one of my Pokemon so I can get to know Barley," Angelina agreed; walking towards the video-phone and dialed the number.

_**At Professor Oak's Lab….**_

Professor Oak was sitting at his desk, writing on some papers silently.

"_**Ring-Ring- Ring! Phone Call!"**_ The receiver of the video-phone rattled as it rung.

Professor Oak looked up from his work and retrieved the phone. Immediately, the scene flashed on and Angelina's face appeared.

"Hi, Professor Oak!" Angelina exclaimed.

Drew and Christina squeezed to either sides of Angelina so that their faces could be seen. "Hey Professor!"

"Hello, Angelina, Christina, Drew."

"Jeremy's out shopping, but he says hi." Drew said.

"So, how are you guys doing? What have you been up to?" the professor asked curiously.

Angelina started telling him about the adventures they've had ever since they left Odale Town. She was sure to tell him about all Team Aqua and Magma's plans, and her previous gym battles.

"Wow, it sounds like you four have been through a lot," Professor Oak said.

"Yeah," Angelina smiled. "And I was wondering if I can switch one of my Pokemon with Shimmer?"

"Of course! So which Pokemon are you planning to send?" Professor Oak asked.

"I'm planning to send Precious," Angelina said, calling out her Skitty.

"Okay then, I'll get Shimmer." Professor Oak ran off screen. Precious gave her trainer a confused look.

"Precious, okay with you if I send you over to Professor Oak's Lab?" Angelina asked, she bent down to her Skitty. "I want to spend some time with Shimmer."

"Naaa, naa!" Precious nodded.

"Okay, Angelina! I got Shimmer." Professor Oak announced, holding the ever-excited Feebas.

"And I said goodbye to Precious." Angelina replied.

"Now all you have to do is place your Skitty's Pokeball in the machine right next to the P.C. and let me do the rest." Professor Oak instructed as Angelina recalled her Skitty and placed the Pokeball in the half-circle depression and turned back to the monitor.

"All right, we're set over here!"

"Okay, begin transport!" Professor Oak announced as Angelina looked back at her Skitty's Pokeball. The capsule glowed white and the Pokeball disappeared. A few seconds later the capsule glowed white once more and another Pokeball appeared. "Transfer complete! How are things on your end?"

Angelina took the new Pokeball and released the Pokemon. "Everything is fine!" she said, picking up the Feebas.

"And everything here is okay as well." Professor Oak said, holding up Precious.

"Okay, you be good for Professor Birch, Precious!" Angelina said, disconnecting the line while her Skitty's goodbye trailed off. Then a bell chime sounded through the Pokemon Center.

"C'mon, Angel; our Pokemon are ready for us." Drew said.

Angelina nodded, and then recalled her Feebas; then she followed her friend and Christina towards the counter. Nurse Joy returned to the counter with their Pokemon. Chocolate sat on the tray with Angelina's other Pokemon, not looking too happy.

"All of your Pokemon are in perfect shape." Nurse Joy told them. "However…." She glanced at Chocolate, "I don't think your Pikachu was too pleased with the checkup."

Angelina took back her Pokemon after Drew and Christina. She lifted her ticked off Pokemon and smiled, "C'mon, Chocolate, don't be like that—" "Chuuu!" Chocolate sparked in her face, then hopped back on her shoulder.

"Hey guys!" The doors of the Pokemon center slid open and Jeremy walked in. His backpack looked a lot larger than normal, but his wallet was definitely lighter.

"Did you get a good haul, Jeremy?" Drew asked.

"Oh, yeah—we'll beset for a while." Jeremy pointed to his backpack.

"I switched my Skitty for that Feebas," Angelina said, holding up the Pokeball.

"The one with purple scales and blue fins?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Angelina replied, wondering about his sudden curiosity.

"Have you ever heard of a Pokemon Co-ordinator named Rachel Hibiki?" Jeremy asked.

"I think she won Slateport's Contest the week before we arrived there," Drew said, then he pulled something from his pocket. "Yeah, this is her." He showed a picture of a young girl receiving a green ribbon; she had light pink hair, violet eyes, pale skin, and wearing a simple red dress.

"Her brother is Syorin," Jeremy informed, which made Angelina growl. "She used to have a shiny Feebas, but she mysteriously doesn't have it anymore. I think she released it for some reason…."

'_**Released Shimmer? But why….?'**_ Angelina asked in thought. _**'I hope Syorin didn't force her, she doesn't seem like a cruel person.'**_ "It doesn't matter if she did it or not. What matters is that she did it for a good cause." she said, then she clenched her fists in excitement, "Okay guys, let's head to the Mauville City Gym!"

"Let's go shopping first."

"Nooooooo! No more—I wanna' go nowwww!" Angelina wailed.

Christina grinned. "I was just testing you. Let's get going."

Angelina sweated anime style—she didn't think the joke was funny at all.

The four friends walked down the sidewalk towards the gym. Angelina was in the lead, all too eager to take on the gym leader.

"Angel, hold on. _**DO**_ you know what you'll be up against?" Jeremy asked her.

"Yeah, I've heard the gym leader isn't exactly a pushover—he's tough." Drew said definitely. "_**DO**_ you have a plan?"

"Are you kidding? I don't have a clue." Angelina said, grinning.

"Angel, you can't always charge in and call out—"

"I know, I know; I have to use my brain. Don't I always?" Angelina flashed a thumbs up.

"….pikachu…." Chocolate sniffed the air. And it was no wonder—the food from the food court had attracted both her's and her trainer's noses.

"Chocolate, after out gym match, let's grab a pizza or something." Angelina suggested.

"Pikachu—pikachu!" Chocolate clapped her paws.

"What's that over there?" Christina started towards a large billboard.

"Christina, we don't have time to read some dumb sign." Drew said, but the little girl just ignored him.

Instead, Christina's eyes scrolled across the black wording on the poster. "Announcing the trick House Contest. Winner receives a one year supply of Pokeblock…. what's a trick house?"

At this, Angelina and Jeremy's interest were grabbed immediately. Drew let out a disapproving snort and folded his arms. They walked down the street and stopped in front of a huge colorfully decorated house with many doors; there was a stage in front and a crowd of people had already formed.

"Lina, look who's here?" Christina pointed to a familiar group of people nearby, it was Ash and his friends Brock, May, and Max.

"Yes, I see," Angelina said, then she noticed a little girl with turquoise hair holding a little round purple creature. It had floppy rabbit ears tipped yellow, a little mouth, tiny legs and small hands, and stitches for eyes. "Oh, what's that?" she took out her Pokedex.

'_**Whismur, the Whisper Pokemon,'**_ Dexette explained. _**'Whismur can become so startled by the sound of its own crying, that it will continue to cry until finally falling asleep from exhaustion.'**_

Suddenly, a chubby man with spiky purple hair appeared on stage. He had a long/thin mustache, thick purple eyebrows, and red make-up around his eyes. He wore a red suit, a yellow bow tie around his neck, white pants and black boots. Angelina, Jeremy, and Christina wondered if the man belonged in a circus because of his ringmaster attire. Drew, on the other hand, looked bored and didn't really care what was going on.

"Welcome one, and welcome all! I'm your host and creator of the Trick House Contest! Yes, I'm your King of Tricks! Good to see you!" the man exclaimed to the applauding crowd. "Behold, my trick house, and its chocked fulled of the trickiest traps I've ever demised! It will take both wisdom and wit to make it all the way through, and who ever gets past all of my traps and reached the exit first is the winner, and let us not forget the stupedous yummy prize you're playing to win, a one year supply of delicious nutricious Poke-Block! Enter any door you wish, the choice is yours. So without further ado, trick time! Many enter, few will win, come on people, let's begin!" he laughs and then elevates down into the stage.

"Okay then, let's take it!" Angelina announced. "There's nothing like a challenge!"

"I'm not going," Drew said, which got a few shocked stares.

"And why not?" Angelina asked.

"You did complain about getting to Mauville City as fast as you could, but I have to get a head start on those Pokemon contests if I'm competing in the Grand Festival this year." Drew explained. "So have fun and I'll see you guys later sometime." He flicked his hair and then walked away.

"Doesn't know what he's missing," Angelina muttered upsetly, then she started towards the door on her left while Jeremy and Christina took the door on the right.

Angelina walked down a long and dimly lit corridor with Chocolate on her shoulder, she soon exits and arrives at a huge yellow maze with doors.

"This should be easy," Angelina said confidently. "Just like the hedge maze back at April's house." She began the challenge; laughing now-and-then when she'd run into a dead-end, but continued on without much worry.

_**Brrriiiiiing—riiinnnnggg!**_ Angelina's Poke-Gear rang and vibrated, she whipped it out and looked at the caller ID: _**Cretonne J. 552-7660**_. She smiled in relief and pressed the call button. "Hey, where are you?"

"Somewhere in the maze," Jeremy answered. "Not many doors lead anywhere, but there's one coming up on my right. I'll try that."

Angelina heard a noise behind her; it was a door being opened, Jeremy and Christina walked in. "Oh good, let's go."

Still in the maze and running into more dead-ends, Angelina becomes slightly frustrated as she kept walking with Jeremy and Christina.

"It's hopeless, we'll never get out!" Angelina pouts, folding her arms and leaning against a wall, but suddenly falls backwards onto grass. "What the— hey, we made it!" though it was actually the center of the maze.

"We're not the only ones," Jeremy said, helping up his friend.

They noticed Ash and friends laying on the ground fast asleep with black marks all over their faces, as was the King of Tricks, the little green-haired girl, a Meowth, and two young people in scout-uniforms (a girl with long magenta hair and a boy with short blue hair).

"Whismur's protected from all sound attacks by its own attack called Sound Proof," Jeremy explained when the girls wondered how Whismur wasn't asleep and scribbled on. "Can I wake up Max?" Christina asked, giggling at the sight of the little boy laying sideways on Brock. "He's got scribbles all over his face."

"I know, so does everyone else," Angelina said, shaking off a blush that formed on her face when she looked at her brother's best friend. "C'mon, we need to finish the Trick House." then she saw her Pikachu poking Ash's Pikachu. "Chocolate, let's go!"

"Pika-pikachu!" Chocolate scurried over. _**(Okay, I'm coming)**_

Now exiting the maze, Angelina's gang reaches a waterfall with water running below bridged by a series of logs. They picked the log on the far left and carefully walked across, safely reaching the next door just as Ash and friends arrived. The third room consisted of rope swinging across a pit, they swung over unharmed and enter through the four door which consisted of ropes leading up to different colored boxes on the ceiling.

"This one," Angelina pointed up at the pink box.

Jeremy grinned, "Okay, ladies first."

"Excuse me? Not while I'm wearing a skirt," Angelina folded her arms, refusing to move. "You may be my best friend, but you are a guy and-"

"I'll go," Christina said, climbing up the rope.

Jeremy followed next, and Angelina was content being last; they were half way to the box when a Meowth and two people in scout uniforms were quickly climbing up the rope that lead to the red box.

"They look familiar…." Angelina stared curiously at the trio.

"Yeah I know," Jeremy agreed, frowning. "It's Team Rocket."

Meowth stopped his climbing when he saw two familiar teenagers watching him. "Can't be…. How'd dey get so far?"

"What's the hold up?" Jessie demanded.

"It's dem!" Meowth said, pointing a clawed paw at Angelina and Jeremy.

"Well now," James smirked noticing them as well, "The twerp's sister has returned."

Angelina blushed while Jeremy growled angrily; they continued upward on the rope without speaking and finally reached the pink box, climbing through it and walking into the fifth room.

"Oh no, pitfall traps!" Angelina cried, dust flying everywhere and other people falling into the ground.

"Team Rocket's specialty," Jeremy groaned. "It's a shame we can't use our flying Pokemon to bypass this."

Angelina walked behind Jeremy and Christina around the holes that have already been revealed. Chocolate trotted right beside her trainer's feet.

"When will this be over?" Christina asked.

"Hopefully soon," Jeremy replied. "Drew should've joined us."

"I know, he makes every situation seem like a bad thing."

The ground beneath the two shook a little weakly under their footsteps for a quick second. They obviously didn't notice since they continued taking.

"Yeah, he thinks he's right, too," Jeremy added.

"There they go again," Angelina mumbled as the two gossiped about Drew. She and Chocolate let out an annoyed sigh.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Angelina's feet started to tremble unstably. She and Chocolate came to an abrupt stop and glanced at each other. "Did you feel that, Chocolate?" she asked and her Pikachu nodded.

_**SPURRRRCHHHHH!**_ The sound of breaking twigs and fallen leaves sounded beneath them.

Chocolate and Angelina took a nervous gulp and dared to look down. The very floor they once stood on had vanished into a black pit. "The floor is GONE!" The two embraced each other as they went falling down inside.

Christina and Jeremy continued on without looking back and finally reached the door. They climbed up the stairs into a place that was bright yellow with tons of orange mirrors for walls and different paths.

"Oh-no! We're in another maze!"

"Wasn't Angelina right behind us?" Jeremy asked, looking for his friend that was nowhere in sight.

Christina frowned, "She's gone," then gasped. "What if she fell into a pit-fall trap? We have to go back!"

"No, she'll catch up with us," Jeremy assured. "For now, we'll try to solve this last challenge."

Meanwhile, Angelina lay unconscious in the pit.

Chocolate's eyes trembled a bit as she woke up. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around the darkness. Her eyes moved from a long dark tunnel before her, to her unconscious trainer. "Pikachu!" She gasped. Chocolate clambered across Angelina's stomach and started licking her face.

Angelina's eyes trembled and she waved her hand at her. "Not the water bucket, Aunt Vicky…." she mumbled.

"Pika-chuuu!" There was a loud zapping sound as Chocolate sparked her trainer with a light jolt of electricity.

"Dah!" Angelina sat up and spat. It took her a little bit to adjust herself awake. She rubbed her eyes, "Thanks, Chocolate," she rubbed her Pikachu's head and her tail wagged gleefully. She got to her feet and glanced up. "Wow, we're really down here." Her voice echoed.

Angelina walked up to the wall. It looked firm enough; she struck it with her fist just to make sure. With a deep breath, she jumped up and grasped a petruding piece of the wall. "Yeah, we'll be out of here in no time—" Suddenly, the piece crumbled beneath his weight. "Yahh!" _**Thud!!**_ "Ooooh!" she rubbed her sore bottom that she landed on. "Okay, not the best plan."

"Pikachu?" Chocolate gave her a worried look.

"I'm fine, thanks—"

"Chu-Chu!" Chocolate tugged on her shoe with her paws. Angelina blinked in confusion. "Pikachu!" the electric mouse pointed forward to the tunnel she spotted earlier.

"Hey, great job, Chocolate!" Angelina beamed at her. The female Pikachu clambered onto her shoulder and she started down it.

The rocky tunnel was dark and a bit damp. Drops of water from above echoed against the solid stone walls. Angelina walked with her hand along the wall. The cave was becoming darker the further she traveled. Her and Chocolate's breathing contributed to the small sounds.

"I wish I had batteries for my flashlight—I can't see a thing." As if replying to her request, the Crystal Bell sparked to life, glowing its bright crystal blue. The beam of light beat around the rocky walls.

"Oh…. that's a lot better." Angelina said and Chocolate nodded.

Their travel was slow and silent, though the cave noises still occurred. Soon, Angelina's footsteps went from a firm stomp to a light splash. _**'The water from above must have made its way down here. That means that there's an exit nearby.'**_ she thought to herself.

The bell's light reflected off a barricade of boulders ahead. Angelina frowned. "Well, this is a nice situation we're in.…" she nodded to Chocolate and she jumped off her shoulder. She then grasped her rose-shaped staff. "Okay, let's work together to clear this out."

"Pika!" Chocolate nodded.

Angelina took up a karate-like stance while her Pokemon got down on all fours. They all focused their vision on one point; the one point where the precision of their attacks would break it. "….Let's go!" she swung her staff at the wall.

Chocolate front-flipped with her thunderbolt-shaped tail poised for Rock Smash. They both struck the wall at the same time and watched it crumble to a million pieces in a puff of smoke.

"Yeah!" _**"Yay!"**_ The two cheered; Angelina patted her Pokemon on its head as the dust and air cleared.

Angelina and Chocolate walked out of the rocky tunnel and appeared in a room that was bright yellow with different paths and had orange mirrors for walls.

"Oh-no! Another maze!" Angelina exclaimed, worriedly. Chocolate followed behind her.

"Chocolate, we better try to sniff out Christina and Jeremy." Angelina ventured into the maze first with her Pikachu bringing up the rear.

Christina and Jeremy's footsteps echoed throughout the maze slowly. Every turn they took seemed to be a dead end or just another pathway. The trails seemed as if they were never-ending.

"My feet hurt and I'm hungry." Christina complained lightly, staring at the ground.

"I want to stop too, but we have to find a way to get out of this maze first." Jeremy said.

They had no idea where they were going; they just kept on running, taking any turn that cam to them.

"Yaaaaaaahhh!" Angelina and Chocolate screamed as they darted through the mirror maze. A large boulder stretching as wide as the hall tumbled towards them. Angelina took every turn that came to her, dreading what would happen if they slow down. "Why do I always get stuck in these kind of situations?!" she shouted. She hoped they didn't hit a dead end.

Angelina and Chocolate sprinted down a long corridor with pathways along the side.

"Which one to take?" Angelina asked.

"Pika!" Chocolate pointed to the one coming up on the right.

"Okay," Angelina nodded.

They slid around the corner, hastily grouping up. The boulder tumbled down the corridor with an eventual crash, meaning it had hit a dead end.

"Whew!" The three let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, there was another loud crashing sound and the ground trembled. They sweated anime style, daring to turn around. Once more with a dangerous tumbling, another large, rugged boulder came rolling down the right corridor.

"Ahhhh!" The three turned-tail and rushed down the pathway.

"Pika-Pikaaa-chu-Pikaa!" "It's not your fault!" Angelina told her Pokemon. They turned around another corner and –_**BANG!!**_

"Ohaaa…." There was a series of moans.

Angelina rubbed her head and opened her eyes. Christina and Jeremy were sprawled on the floor.

"Hey Jer, long time-no see." Angelina said and Jeremy flashed a thumbs-up.

"Oh, Angel! We were so worried about you!" Christina hugged her sister.

The tumbling sound echoed through the corridor as the boulder came rolling down.

"Ah!" Angelina and her Pokemon shrieked.

"I've got this!" Jeremy jumped forward and pushed his sleeve up. "….Here I go!" "Jeremy, you fool!" He thrust it forward like a rocket—and flew right through it. "Dah!" His arms flailed as he fell on his face.

"It's…. it's fake?" Angelina blinked with her sister and Jeremy. The boulder phased like computer pixels as it moved right through them.

"Ouch!" Jeremy rubbed his face. Angelina helped him up to his feet.

Christina glanced to the side. "Hey, look; it's a door!" She pointed to some sort of glass door. Instead of having a doorknob, it had some mechanical device with buttons in its place.

"Well, it's pretty useless unless it has a lock on it." Angelina said. She turned to walk away when her foot crunched a piece of paper. "Huh? What's this?" she picked it up and read it as she walked back to her companions.

"What's that you've got there?" Jeremy asked.

"…._**'Trick master is the smartest'**_?" Angelina read.

There was a sudden series of clicks and beeps coming from the mechanical device at the door. A loud click issued and the door practically swung open. Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy gave each other a skeptical look.

"It beats being in this maze. Let's get out of here." Jeremy said. The girls nodded and walked on through the dimly lit corridor and were finally outside. "Whoa, we won?"

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy were shocked, standing on the front stage where tons of people were crowded.

"This years super-duper mega prize winners in the Trick House are the two sisters, Angelina and Christina reining from Pallet Town, and their friend Jeremy from Goldenrod City!" The King of Tricks announced to the cheering crowd, then advanced towards Angelina, handing over a certificate. "Here you go, sweetheart. You earned this."

"Thank you, King of Tricks," Angelina said while the crowd cheered even louder, especially from her brother and his friends.

"Here you go, Jeremy! Enjoy your one year supply of Poke-Block with your pretty girlfriend and her sister!" The King of Tricks then handed over the one-year supply of Pokeblock, all seven boxes stacked up high. "And now a tip for the rest of you: watch out below!" he laughs while Jeremy struggles to hold onto the teetering pile and falls, but Angelina and Christina help out by catching some of the boxes.

"It's a Jigglypuff! Can I have it, please?" Christina points excitedly towards a round pink creature holding a marker and approaching the stage.

"LOOK OUT!" Brock yelled.

"Jig-guh-lee-puff, jig-guh-lee-ee-ee-puff," the Pokemon sang its strange melody happily. Everyone in the crowd, and including those on stage, collapse into sleep immediately just as the sun begins to set. Well-deserving a rest after the Trick House contest, but there's more exciting times ahead for our heroes once they get to Mauville City and Angelina's (and Ash's) next gym battle after they wake up, that is, cause when you snooze, you lose.

**§To Be Continued§**

I had fun with this chapter! I saw the episode once on tv and on myspace, I laughed when the King of Tricks would act stupid with its little poems, but I didn't even know that Ash asked what a trick house was in the episode and I put in this chapter that Christina asked what that was too (and if you've followed along the other stories, Christina is Ash's step-sister through Angelina). I also didn't like the end of it when the boy won, so I changed the winner to Angelina and friends. So thanks for reading! I will be back again as always!


	20. No Stop, No Shock

Here I am again! This chapter isn't based on an episode, but it does take place the day after Ash earns his third badge. I don't own Pokemon except for my characters and ideas, enjoy!

**Chapter 20: No Stoppin', No Shockin'**

IT was so early in the morning two days later that the sun didn't even bother to rise. Angelina pushed the door to the Pokemon Center room open slowly with her foot. She was still halfway dressed; her skirt was right, as was her tank-top, but she wasn't wearing her hat. In her arms was a basket of clean laundry she had just washed at the laundry mat. Instead of being down like it normally was, she pulled up her hair in a messy bun.

Angelina stepped into the room quietly and set the basket of folded clothes onto the floor. Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate were sound asleep in bed, so Angelina did her best to be quiet.

In just a few short moments, Angelina would be on her way to earn the Dynamo badge. She was so excited, she couldn't go back to sleep if she wanted to. The memories of his previous gym battles raced through her mind as if reminding her how tough her match would be.

With her hair down and her gloves back on, Angelina was ready and psyched up for her gym battle. The sunlight beamed brightly into her rental room through the window. However, everyone except for her was sound asleep.

Angelina walked over to the alarm clock and started pressing the buttons on it with a grin. "….three….two….one.…" **_BUUUZZZ-BUUUZZZ!_** "Whaaaa!" The sound beat all around the room loudly, causing Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate to go flying out of bed.

"Rise and shine, you sleepy heads!" Angelina shouted to add to the noise. Christina walked up to her and slapped the "off" button down. Hers and the other's temples were beating rapidly as they gave Angelina an irritated look.

"What in the heck is your problem!?" "Pika-Pikachu!" Jeremy and Chocolate shot angrily.

"Gee, I'm sorry—I didn't know you wanted to sleep in all day long." Angelina said in sarcasm.

"No, but you could've waited till we just woke up." Christina told her.

Angelina pulled her shoulder-bag from the corner, "Ash came to Mauville for the same reason I did, and a two-day wait for a match is long enough." she turned back to her groggy companions.

Jeremy frowned, but didn't say anything. Instead, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes in silence.

Angelina grinned as they started to get ready and dressed—she knew they would see things her way.

**_I came from Pallet Town  
_**_**With a brand new world to see  
**__**I don't know what's ahead  
**__**But it won't get the best of me  
**__**There's so much to learn  
**__**And battles to be won  
**__**I've advanced so far  
**__**But still there's always more to come **_

_**Take a step and I'm on my way  
**__**Gonna start all over again**_

_**I wanna be a hero (hero)  
**__**Pokemon Advance  
**__**(I'm on my way)  
**__**I wanna be a hero (hero)  
**__**Give me just one chance**_

_**And the future will decide  
**__**If there's a hero buried deep inside**_

_**I wanna be a hero  
**__**Pokemon!**_

The three friends were walking down the sidewalk in the bright sun. Christina and Jeremy let out a yawn with a few tears in their eyes. Chocolate sat atop Angelina's shoulder. She was awake, but only enough so to groom herself. Angelina was chipper and ready to start her battle in the Mauville City Gym. With the morning well mixed into the air, the tourists and residents were back on the sidewalk and roads.

"So, Angel, how do you plan on defeating the gym leader?" Christina finally spoke up.

Jeremy pulled down the paper of a granola bar and shoved it in his mouth.

"I don't really know. I'm really good at making things up as I go."

In the distance, the dome-shaped gym appeared slowly at the end of the far block. The yellow roof and white body shone brightly in the sunlight. A smile spread on Angelina's face and she started to jog down the sidewalk. Her heart pounded in response to the rise in her adrenaline. She was so excited, she couldn't wait any longer; she had to get into that gym now! Her feet subconsciously forced her to go faster, but she came to a halt in front of the door.

"Angel, just go on in." Christina said.

Angelina nodded, reaching for the door handle and pulling it open. The entrance was a long and narrow corridor. Angelina lead the way into the building, their footsteps echoing down the corridor.

A sudden jerk caused the trio to fall and they began to go down the corridor at a fast rate.

"What's going on?!" Christina cried.

"I think we hit a trap!" Jeremy yelled.

The tile, which they were riding on, had came to a sudden halt. The trio sighed in relief, but it didn't last for long. A deep growl came from the darken corridor up ahead. This followed by the sound of footsteps coming toward them. From the darkness came a huge creature that looked like a saber-toothed tiger with a huge purple storm cloud on its back, a blue lighting bolt tail, and eyes that glowed red.

"No way, it's Raikou!" Angelina gasped.

The Raikou's body glowed in a stream of electricity and released a powerful lighting bolt, hitting the ground in front of them, leaving a black charred spot.

"Chocolate, let's go! Iron Tail!" Angelina ordered, her Pokemon jumped of her shoulder. Chocolate's tail glowed white and came down at Raikou in a blinding speed and followed by the sound of a crash.

"Hold on, that Pokemon isn't real!" Jeremy spoke. "Just a robot!" The girls turned to see he was right. Wires spilled and staticed from the robot's neck.

Just then, a loud laugh could be heard coming from the dark corridor followed by footsteps. An older man with white hair and beard, wearing a yellow outfit with a brown jacket, with a lighting bolt on the side, over the top and brown shoes appeared before the group.

"Well I haven't seem that much damage since yesturday," the man said, gently rubbing the side of the Raikou robot.

"By any chance, are you the Mauville Gym leader?" Angelina asked.

"Why yes, I am," said the man, laughing up a storm. "The names' Wattson, and this is my assistant Watt." He referred to the young man beside him with brown hair and glasses.

"I'm Angelina from Pallet Town, this is my little sister Christina and my best friend Jeremy."

"Pallet Town, eh? Then I hope you're another good spirit to fight against like Ash Ketchum." Wattson said.

"He's my brother," Angelina informed. "Came here for the same reason I did; a gym battle for the third badge."

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Wattson leads the trio into a dimly-lit arena. It was so quiet that they could hear their own footsteps echo against the walls.

"Why is it that a building always looks bigger on the outside?" Angelina asked herself, staring at the seemingly lifeless gym.

The lights above snapped to life one by one, illuminating even the dark corners of the arena. The final spotlights shot on either side of a gigantic Pokeball marking in the middle of the floor.

On one side, Watson took his place on the left side while Watt would stand in the middle and on the side to referee the match.

Angelina stepped into the other spotlight, facing the gym leader with Chocolate still on her shoulder. Christina and Jeremy walked towards the arena seats to watch the match and cheer for Angelina.

"You can do it, Angel!" Christina shouted after taking her seat.

"Yeah, show Watson you can't lose!" Jeremy added.

Watson glanced up at the two with a grin. "I can see why you're as tough as you are."

"This will be a three-on-three Pokemon battle with no time limit and only the challenger can substitute." Watt announced. "Let the battle begin."

"Are you ready, Angelina?" Watson pulled a Pokeball from his belt and threw it into the middle. It burst open and revealed a Pokemon that resembled a Pokeball. The only difference was its dangerously glaring eyes.

"A Voltorb," Jeremy spoke to himself.

"Fine, then I'll fight you with an electric Pokemon of my own." Angelina said. "Let's go, Chocolate!"

"Pika!" Chocolate jumped off her trainer's shoulder and onto the ground.

"Do you think she can pull it off?" Christina asked Jeremy.

"Angel's been known to pull off miracles." Jeremy assured.

"Chocolate, use Quick Attack!" Angelina opened out.

"Pikaaa!" Chocolate's paws moved like lightning in its light-speed tackle.

"Voltorb, stop it with Thunder Wave!" Watson ordered.

"Vooltoorb!" Voltorb's droned voice sounded as a light jolt shot sharply from its body.

Chocolate's body flashed to the side to dodge and rushed in for the attack. **_BANG!_** Voltorb rolled back from the force.

"Nice one, Chocolate!" Angelina cheered, grinning.

"Voltorb, use Thundershock!"

"Toorb!" A bolt of lightning fired from Voltorb's body and struck Chocolate.

"Piii—" "Ahha!" Angelina's body surged with electricity.

Watson scratched his chin at how the trainer reacted to her Pokemon's pain.

"Chocolate, return the favor." Angelina clenched her fists. Chocolate's cheeks sparked before delivering a Thundershock harsher than the first. Angelina's body shivered and sparked from the feedback.

"Vo-vo-vo-vo-vo!" Voltorb rattled in the shock. It rolled over for a short dazed period before spinning back into control. Chocolate, however, teetered dizzily.

"Great job, buddy." Watson told his partner, then looked to Angelina, "And how are you holding up?"

"We're fine," Angelina panted with sparks flying from her body.

"Good, use Rollout, Voltorb!"

Voltorb spun itself around and around in a giant ring before tolling straight for Chocolate. The farther it traveled, the faster and stronger it became.

"Jump!" Angelina blurted hastily. Chocolate leapt into the air and stopped the ball Pokemon by landing on it.

"Voltorb," Even though it didn't have a mouth, it was easy to tell that Voltorb was grinning. Chocolate felt a foreboding feeling and gulped. "Volllll!" "Pikaaa!" Without warning, Voltorb spun wildly in its Rollout attack, forcing Chocolate to do the ball run. "PiPiPikaa-chu!" she cried.

Angelina could feel Chocolate's rush from the ride. If her Pokemon made a single mistake, it would fall right off.

"Hang in there, Chocolate!" Angelina called out to her.

Chocolate teetered left and wobbled right, but never really lost its balance.

Voltorb zigzagged and even tried to roll in circles to try to spin it off.

"Give it up, Watson; you'll never get my Pikachu off." Angelina grinned.

"Don't be so sure, Angelina. Voltorb, get it off with Thundershock attack!" Watson exclaimed.

"Voltorb!" **_SPWEEE!_** "Arrgh!" "Piii!" Electricity wrapped around Chocolate, which in turn surged through her trainer. At the exact same time, the two fell to the ground with a thud.

"Uh!" Christina and Jeremy gasped.

"Angel, watch out!" Jeremy shouted.

"Huh?" Angelina's eyes snapped open.

Voltorb came rushing towards the electric rodent at jet-speed for another Rollout attack.

"Pika!" Chocolate jumped back to her feet and dove to the left as Voltorb sped by dangerously.

"Great dodge, Chocolate." Angelina stood up also.

Chocolate panted, but kept her red cheeks charged up.

"Chocolate, do you want to take a rest?" Angelina asked her; she could feel that her Pokemon was exhausted.

"Pikachu-Pika!" Chocolate shook her head. She was determined to keep going as long as she could.

Voltorb was still circling around the area swiftly, so as to confuse its opponent. Occasionally, it would rush forward, but Chocolate shot to the side.

"Chocolate, use Thunderbolt!" Angelina shouted without thinking. Since Chocolate was so tired, she would only be wise to use her electrical attacks sparingly.

"Piiiikaachuuuuu!" A large bolt of lightning fired from Chocolate's trembling body.

"Now, absorb with Charge!"

"Voltorb!" Voltorb was stricken with the attack, but didn't look as if it felt any pain. Instead, an electric aura surrounded its body, growing the more it absorbed the voltage.

"Pii-ka?" Chocolate's cheeks shorted to a halt as she sweated anime style.

"Show Pikachu a Thunderbolt of your own."

"Voltorb-voltorb!" Voltorb jumped up and spun in mid air. A large bolt of electricity shot across the ground and struck Chocolate, causing her and Angelina to fly backwards.

'**_There's gotta' be a way to beat this guy.'_ **Angelina thought as she shakily got back to her feet, **_'But How? Whatever we throw at him, Voltorb throws back with twice the power. And to make things worse, Chocolate doesn't' look like she can hold out much longer.'_ **she watched Chocolate's cheeks fizzle to a low glow.

"Lina, use your head!" Christina shouted down and Angelina turned to her, "You can't just keep calling out attacks. There's a way you can win, but you have to **think**."

Angelina looked repeatedly form Chocolate to Voltorb. She tried to see what she could use to her advantage and how to use it. **_'C'mon—think! How do we stop…..!'_ **Angelina's mind wandered back to when Voltorb was first shocked. She replayed the scene several times in her head, concentrating on a different detail each time.

"Use Thundershock again!" Watson's voice sounded faint. Chocolate jumped out of the bolt's way, but only by hair's width.

"That's it!" Angelina snapped her fingers as a plan formed. And in Chocolate's condition, she really didn't have time to see if it was full-proof. "Chocolate, use Thunder attack!" she exclaimed. Chocolate glanced back at her with an air of uncertainty.

"Don't worry—I'll help you out the best way I can." Angelina assured her with a smile, "Any pain you feel, I'll feel—we'll share our victories and defeat."

Still panting, Chocolate clenched her fists and her cheeks lit up with a faint yellow light. Angelina could feel Chocolate draw from her energy to charge up the attack. "Piiiikaaaachuuuu!" "Use Charge again!" A large bolt of lightning blasted from Chocolate's entire body and forced herself forward. She cracked a crooked trail into the ground as she traveled. Chocolate felt her body teeter and wobble in combination with the pain. Angelina saw the entire world spinning around her, but had to remain strong for her Pikachu's sake.

Voltorb's body started to glow with a yellow aura, ready to absorb the attack. The electricity struck it harshly, but only pressure-wise. The more power Voltorb absorbed, the larger and brighter Voltorb's charge aura became.

"That's right; keep going, Chocolate. We can do it!" Angelina coached and Chocolate poured on the juice.

"Bad strategy, Angelina; your Pikachu will never have enough power to beat my Voltorb." Watson stated.

"We'll see!" Angelina thrust her fist into the air and Chocolate forced her body to output more power.

Voltorb's body started to tremble feverishly in place. The aura around it stopped growing, but kept getting brighter.

"Oh—now I get it." Christina grinned, "Good job, Lina; you almost had me going."

"What's she doing?" Jeremy asked.

"It's true that Voltorb absorbed Chocolate's shock, but even it has a limit it can reach. The only question is, can Chocolate give it enough juice?" Christina explained.

"Piii---kaaaa!" **_SPWAAA!_** A rain of electricity hammered Voltorb heavily. Not even its charge attack could handle that amount of power.

"V-V-Voltoooorb!"

"Oh-no, Voltorb!" Watson took a shocked step back. Voltorb's body lit up before exploding in a billowing puff of smoke.

"Pi!" "Ah!" Chocolate's body shorted out and both she and her trainer panted. Their faces were smudged with a scratch or two, but their real pain came from their lack of stamina.

"No more…. no more shocking…." Angelina said breathlessly.

Voltorb's entire form was covered in soot and its eyes swirled dizzily.

"Voltorb is unable to battle!" Watt said. "The first match goes to Pikachu!"

"Good job, Voltorb. Return," Watson recalled his Pokemon back to its Pokeball. "Nice one, Angelina, but let's see you and your gutsy Pikachu handle this." He pulled another Pokeball from his belt and tossed it forward. "Go!"

The Pokemon that came out was a metallic spherical being with two U-magnets on its sides. In the middle of it was one big eye and two bolts were drawn to its underside.

"This is my buddy, Magnamite, and the Pokemon that will hand you defeat on a silver platter." Watson said.

"Chocolate, I'm calling you back—" "Pika!" Chocolate shook her head and forced herself to stand on her hind legs.

"You…. you want to keep going?" Angelina blinked and she nodded. The determined look on her face was just too much—she would fight till she couldn't even stand. "…..right; we'll keep going." she closed her eyes and grinned.

"You're both crazy; use your heads!" Jeremy shouted.

"We will; Chocolate, use Headbutt!"

"Pikaaa!" Chocolate rushed up to the floating Pokemon. She jumped in an airborne tackle with her head; she crashed into Magnamite, only to rub her head from the pain when she landed.

"Ouch! Okay, maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all." Angelina rubbed her head. Magnamite, however, looked as if the attack didn't faze it in the least. Still panting, Chocolate and Angelina growled. At the time, she didn't feel as if they had a good offense, so she decided to go on the defensive.

"Chocolate, use Doubleteam!" Angelina called.

"Pika—" "Pika—""Pika—" Images of Pikachu started to form a circle around Magnamite.

"Nice one, Angelina, but not good enough." Watson said calmly, "Magnamite, use Lock-on."

"Magnaaa!" Its eye glowed blue and it started turning. To it, its eye was like a radar that scanned the area, until it landed on the real Pikachu, who never really left its place. "Magnamite!" It nodded to show that it found the real one.

"Good, now use your Zap Cannon attack."

"**Zap Cannon?!"** Angelina shrieked.

In front of Magnamite, a ball of yellow and green electricity sparked to life. It slowly grew in size to become more dangerous.

Angelina and Chocolate were too stunned to move. They knew it was over—there was no way to dodge that!

The sparking sphere became twice the size of the user and was ready to be used.

"Magnaaaamite!" Magnamite fired the cannon ball of lightning with great speed and force; Chocolate was forced to the ground in a choking assault, but Angelina was able to stay on her feet. The attack had temporarily severed the link of feeling between them.

"Pikachu is unable to battle," Watt declared. "Magnamite is the winner!"

"CHOCOLATE!" Angelina rushed up to her Pokemon, scooping it up in her arms. "You fought bravely, Chocolate."

Using the remainder of her strength, Chocolate smacked Angelina on the cheek sharply. "Pi-Pikachu, pika…."

"…yeah…" Angelina smiled, "We did it together and that's all that matters. You take a good rest now." she called her back to her rhinestone-studded Pokeball.

Angelina retrieved another and held it out in her hand. This round wasn't going down the same way.

"I choose Shadow," It burst open and the Disaster Pokemon came out.

"Absol-Ab!" Shadow growled.

Angelina staggered back a bit. In a way, she was glad she couldn't share a soul with Shadow just yet. She could use this match to recover some of her stamina.

"Go, use Crunch!" Angelina ordered.

"Soool!" Shadow launched up to Magnamite with her big jaws open.

"Stop it with Screech!" Watson said. **_SIIIIRRRRR!!_** A sharp, high-pitched sound rang throughout the entire arena.

Shadow was so taken off guard that she crashed on her stomach, holding the sides of her head.

"Yaiiiiee!" Angelina covered her ears. Christina and Jeremy did the same.

"Now, use Thundershock." Even though Watson's voice was muffled and faint, Magnamite understood and launched a jolt of electricity.

"Sool!" Shadow felt it sharply strike her body and jumped up.

Angelina took her hands off her ears, "Are you okay, Shadow?" she asked and Shadow nodded. "Good, then use Faint Attack!" she stated.

"Absooool!" Shadow's body flashed before fading into thin air. Even though his body was invisible, his steps could still be heard. Angelina hoped that Watson didn't have another trick up his sleeve; if his Pokemon were strong enough to zap even a dark-type Pokemon, a surprise could be a devastating loss on Angelina's part.

"Sool!" "Magnaaa!" There was a crashing sound as Shadow found his target. Magnamite was sent flying backwards, stopping in mid-air.

"Great job, Shadow!" Angelina exclaimed.

"Magnamite, are you okay?" Watson asked and his Pokemon replied by sparking up. "Try your Tackle attack!"

"Magnaaa!" With a rush of wind behind it, Magnamite forced its body through the air. Shadow jumped out of the way and let it fly to the other side of her. Magnamite's eye frowned as it went in for another one. Once again, Shadow leapt to the side into the safe.

'**_Good job, Shadow; Magnamite can't do a thing if it can't hit its target.'_** Angelina thought to herself. By the look on Watson's face, he had thought the same thing too.

"Lock-on!" Just like before, Magnamite's eye locked onto Shadow in a transfixed gaze. Shadow tried moving right and left, but the magnet Pokemon's start followed threateningly.

"Zap Cannon!" Watson pointed.

"Not again!" Angelina started to sweat. "Quick; get out of the way, Shadow!"

"Ab-sol, Ab-sol, Ab-sol, Ab-sol—" Shadow panted as he ran in circles. The magnet Pokemon lived up to its name by keeping on him like a magnet to an old car. Shadow would've tried to dig in defense, but the ground wasn't suitable for a proper hole.

Magnamite fired a large ball of electricity that sparked like a wild firework.

"Sooool—" Shadow screamed as it got closer. **_KABOOOM!_** A static sound followed the explosion. Shadow lay shakily on the ground, his body sparking.

"Absol can't go on!" Watt said. "Magnemite wins!"

"Good job, Shadow. Return," Angelina called him back. She was right; the round didn't go down the same way—it was worse.

"Well, that was a quick one." Christina sweated anime style.

'**_C'mon, Angel; concentrate on winning."_** Jeremy thought.

Angelina had a tough choice on her hands. If she chose the wrong Pokemon, all of the work she and her partners did would be for nothing. **_'I need to choose someone just right for the situation.'_** she thought to herself. "….I've got it! I call Crimson!"

Angelina lets another Pokeball burst open in her hand, her Vulpix came out, grooming his fur.

"Aww, c'mon, Crimson; can't you do that some other time?" Angelina folded her arms and sweated anime style. Immediately, Crimson stood up straight and flexed his tails threateningly. His and Angelina's eyes turned into a glimmering green to show they were ready to fight. The Crystal Bell was jingling so lightly that its vibrations could barely be seen.

"Are you sure that's who you want to go with?" Watson asked Angelina.

"Yeah, I choose Vulpix as my third and final Pokemon."

"Well, if that's your choice, then get ready!"

"Go, Crimson, Confuse Ray!" Angelina called out.

"Vul!!" Crimson's tails started to sparkle with tiny specks of light. They first circled his own body before drifting up and around Magnamite.

"Maganmite-magnamite?" Magnamite's eye spun slowly at first, trying to follow the bouncing beads. It was only a matter of time before the lustrous beads swirled its eye out of control.

"Oh-no—it's confused!" Watson clenched his teeth.

Magnamite's vision was so weird, that it couldn't even distinct its trainer from it opponent. "Magnnaaa!" The magnets on Magnamite's sides lit up with a high-voltage charge; they burst with rapid shots of lightning that fired wildly.

"Watch out!" Jeremy and Christina stood up abruptly.

Electric bolts shot around the arena in a mad-crazy style; Magnamite floated around in the air, launching its attack without paying any attention. It shot at both people and Pokemon.

"Yah!" Christina ducked from a stray bolt.

'**_Maybe confusing it wasn't such a good idea.' _**Angelina lifted her foot to dodge a single bright-yellow spark.

"Magnamite, control yourself!" Watson tried to contact his Pokemon, but got attacked in return.

"Magna?" Magnamite turned to Crimson. It started at him deeply with its poles still sparking madly. The fox Pokemon took a nervous step back, not taking its gaze from Magnamite. Suddenly, its eye turned a glowing crimson that sent a chill through Angelina's body. "Run, Crimson!"

"Vulpix-vul!" Crimson darted to the right just as a sharp bolt of electricity blasted the spot he once stood in.

"Magnamite-Magnamite!" Magnamite followed Crimson in hot pursuit, firing its Thundershock attack fiercely.

Crimson's paws traveled so fast that they barely beat the ground he darted and zagged to try and shake it off his trail. However, it stayed right behind him no matter what move he made.

Angelina figured that, in its confusion, Magnamite must have used its Lock-on attack. It would explain how it was able to keep up with Crimson's great speed. The air around him heated up as he ran through the showering sparks. **_SPWEE!!_** "Vulll!" One struck Crimson in the hind leg, causing him to trip to the ground with a thud.

"Ack!" Angelina fell on her right knee, which seared with pain. She glanced down to see her pant leg sparking with a blue static.

"Magnamite?" Magnamite's swirling eye came to a slow halt all of the sudden. The angry red lifted and returned to its white state. With its electricity back under control, it glanced around, witnessing the damage it had done. A thin layer of dust hovered around the cracks in the floor and bleachers, but not too much was destroyed—the bolts must've shorted out way before they hit.

"Magnamite, are you okay?" Watson asked.

Magnamite turned around in mid-air to face him. It stared a bit longer before smiling, "Magnamite!" It chirped.

"I'm glad to see you're okay. Can you keep going?"

"Magnamite!" It replied again with another smile.

Crimson and Angelina trembled as they got to their feet. They were determined not to let a little shock keep them down.

"They're good.…" Watson blinked. **_'She is really determined to beat me—and her Pokemon are so close to her that they are willing to share with her the feeling of their victories and losses. I can see that this kid is going to go far, just like her brother."_ **He thought to himself. The sight of them made him want to battle even harder if he could. "Magnamite, use your Headbutt attack!"

"Magnamite!" Magnamite forced its body like an arrow through the air. But even Watson could realize something different about it.

"That attack…. it's slower than last time." Angelina said lowly. Crimson jumped to avoid being knocked down by a fly tackle.

"Crimson, use Flamethrower!" Angelina called out.

Crimson opened her mouth, where crackling cinders started to take form. "Vuuulll!" She sprayed a jet of fire that Magnamite just as easily dodged.

"Grrr!" The two Pokemon glared at each other.

Magnamite threw its body for another Headbutt attack—the biggest mistake it made during the entire match! Angelina waited till it was really close before shouting, "Use Flamethrower now!" In an instant, the magnet Pokemon was taken by a spurt of flames point-blank. It dropped to the ground limply, covered in soot.

"Magnamite is out, Vulpix wins!" Watt shouted.

"Very good, Magnamite—and to you, Angelina." Watson called back Magnamite at last.

"That was great, Crimson! We only have one more!" Angelina stated excitedly. Crimson smiled weakly and fanned his tails.

"Whew! That was a close one." Jeremy said, sitting back down.

Christina was still kind of shocked from the flying sparks that shot at her. It was only natural that she found her seat a lot later.

'**_Keep it up, Angel. You only have one more obstacle to go through."_ **Jeremy coached in his mind, **_'Unfortunately, it'll be your toughest obstacle yet.'_ **

Watson drew his final Pokeball and tossed it. "Your turn, Magnaton!" It flashed open, releasing an electric Pokemon with three metallic spheres joined in a triangular shape. Each sphere had its own eye and magnet at its end.

"Ah!" Angelina choked a bit. She had seen the devastative power that Magnaton could produce in the past. For her and Crimson to go against a fully evolved powerhouse seemed kind of scary. **_'No!'_ **Angelina forced herself to think, **_'We're not giving up without a fight—no matter what. This battle has gone way too far for us to stop going now.'_ **Angelina clenched her fists, "Let's go, Watson."

"Right; Thundershock, Magnaton!"

"Magnaatonn!" The magnets on Magnaton burst with an electric shock that skipped across the ground.

Panting a bit, Crimson scampered across the floor, dodging by a hair's width.

"That's right, Crimson—don't give up." Angelina said breathlessly.

"Magnaton, confuse them with supersonic!" Watson shouted.

Almost immediately, Angelina and Crimson covered their ears as a trail of sound waves spiraled from Magnaton.

"Clever…. they were able to sense each other's thoughts and react quickly." One would say that Watson was truly amazed with Angelina and her Pokemon. But he knew that not even Angelina could last forever. "Magnaton, use Tackle!"

Magnaton launched its body right into Crimson's side, sending her flying. "Ack!" This time, Angelina fell to both knees, shuddering in pain. Still, she and Crimson stood back up shakily.

'**_I have to find a way to win this. But how?'_** Angelina thought, **_"It's like he comes up with a counter strategy to everything we do….I guess we'll just have to go on gut feeling."_**

"Crimson, let's try a Will-o-Wisp attack!"

"Vulpix-vulpix!" Crimson closed his eyes to concentrate. A little distorted at first, a ghastly purple and blue sphere started to dance around him. It was soon joined by another smaller one that linked onto it. By the time Crimson opened his eyes, five linked spheres circled his body. "Vulll!" Crimson launched the ghastly sphere link through the air and into Magnaton.

"Magnaaaa!" The magnet Pokemon's body suddenly became engulfed in a blue flame that combusted from out of nowhere.

"Hey, Magnaton, try to force it off!" Watson shouted.

Magnaton spun its body in a rapid and frantic circle, forcing the flames to fly off.

"Darn!" Angelina snapped her fingers. "Use Fire Spin!"

"Vulpix, Vul!" Crimson launched a spiraling stream of flames, heating the air around him.

"Counter with our most powerful attack; Magnaton, use Shockwave!" Watson shouted.

"Magnaaa!" The magnets on Magnaton charged up with a high voltage, sparking madly. The power was concentrated into one giant sphere that grew larger each second.

Once the flames got close, the sphere expanded quickly and fiercly; the flames were pushed back into cinders and the waved hammered into Crimson.

"Vulll!" "Hahaaa!" A powerful blast of power flowed through both Crimson and his partner. They flew onto the ground with a harsh landing, sparking slightly.

"Angelina!" "Call the match, Angelina!" Christina and Jeremy shouted.

Angelina could barely move; she was tired and exhausted from fighting. She wanted to win, but not at the cost of Crimson going through another attack like that. **_'I guess….I guess—'_**

"**_We're not…. giving up.…"_** "Huh?" Angelina looked down to see Crimson gazing at her. **_"We've come too far to quit. Let's keep going for Chocolate and Shadow!"_** he smiled.

"You…. really want to continue? Even though we don't stand a chance?" Angelina asked.

"**_Sure, that's what friends do, right?"_** "Crimson replied.

Angelina's eyes started to water before getting serious. "Right! Let's go and give Magnaton trouble." she shook a bit but, with her teeth clenched, pushed her body to sit up. At the same time, Crimson's hind leg trembled on its way upward. They rose up to a full stand, grinning.

"Wow, that's some determination!" Watson said, "You still wish to continue, Angelina?"

"Yes—the tougher you are, the more determined we get." Angelina told him. The Crystal Bell brought a smooth vibration as it started to glow even brighter to its owner.

"Shock Wave!" Watson shouted. As Magnaton charged for the attack, Angelina became totally focused. This was the last attack—there was no room for mistakes and no way to turn back. She and Crimson knew that if they couldn't get through this one, it would be all over.

Christina and Jeremy were at the edge of their seats. They couldn't look away even if they tried.

"Crystal EX activate!" Angelina made her move, thrusting her fist forward. The Crystal Bell exploded with light and her hair started to glow blue. A crystal aura surrounded Crimson and his eyes started to shine. Their final boost of power surged through them as Magnaton's Shock Wave sped closer. "EX Power; Yoko Flame!"

"**Yoko—what?**" Everyone else gasped. Four bluish-purple flame spheres appeared around Crimson. They danced around his body until they went from their ghastly shade to a rose-color red.

"VULLPIIIIX!" Crimson forced the flames to spiral forward. There was a static crash, resulting with the two attack colliding. With the powers evenly matched, it was a battle of will rather than strength.

"Arrgghh!" Angelina and Crimson did their best to push against their opponent's resistance. A crimson-rose color brightened their side of the field. Watson watched Magnaton vibrate as it tried to force its power through Crimson's attack. Their side was lit with an electric blue. Sparks and cinders flew all over the arena like fireworks. Angelina and Crimson panted wildly; they could feel themselves being pushed back slowly. "IT'S OVERRRR!" **_SPWIIIEEE—BOOOM!_**

When the light finally simmered down, Jeremy and Christina dared to open their eyes. The arena was covered in a murky layer of dust. No more attack or struggling sounds were present; just dead silence.

Watson waved the smoke away from his face, coughing silently. He got back to his feet, trying to gaze through the air. The dust slowly started to clear, illuminating the shadows of figures. "…I don't believe it!"

"How?" Christina and Jeremy gasped.

On Watson's side, the smoke cleared first to reveal a weary Magnaton, still floating. If Magnaton was able to keep going, then Angelina and Crimson were sunk if they weren't already. The smoke finally cleared away from the other side. Jaws dropped and eyes widened; Angelina and Crimson were still standing, but barely. Their legs wobbled, but didn't surrender. The two Pokemon stared each other in the eyes.

"Vul….vul…." Crimson panted. "….Magnaton," Suddenly, Magnaton dropped to the ground, landing on its face.

"Ah!" "Yes," Watson gave a shocked look of defeat, but Angelina smiled.

"Magnaton is unable to battle," Watt called. "Vulpix is the winner! The winner of this battle is Angelina!"

"Well…." Watson gave a smile back as well, "I guess this old man still had a lot to learn." He held out his Pokeball and recalled Magnaton.

Angelina dropped to the ground, sitting with her legs folded. The effects of the Crystal Bell faded away slowly.

"Vulpix," Crimson crawled into his trainer's lap and begged for attention.

"You did a good job." Angelina stroked him behind the ears and he smiled blissfully.

"She did it! Angelina won!" Christina and Jeremy rushed down to the young girl. Once they got to Angelina, they patted her lightly on the back.

"That was some battle, Angelina—you had us goin' for a minute." Jeremy flashed a thumbs-up.

Angelina just smiled—she didn't feel like talking yet. Crimson was so tired that she fell asleep in her lap.

"Great job, Angelina," Christina smiled.

Watson walked up to Angelina, grinning. "Angelina, you have shown me that your bond with your Pokemon is unbreakable. I believe that from now till the end of your days, you will grow stronger together. Thanks for showing this old man one of the best battles in his days…. Angelina?"

"Zzzzzz!" Snoring sounds came from Angelina when Christina poked her. In less than ten seconds, she had fallen asleep on the spot before Watson even started talking.

"Dah," Jeremy and Christina sweated anime style, but Watson just laughed.

"Give this to her when she wakes up." Watson gave Christina a circular badge with two prongs on the side. Christina nodded and placed it in her pocket.

"If you guys aren't too busy, you should go to Verdanturf Town." Watson suggested, "It doesn't have a gym, but you might want to enter the Pokemon Contest there. Maybe you might be interested?"

"Are you kidding?" Jeremy asked excitedly, "We've been waiting for news like that. Thanks a bunch, Watson."

And so, Angelina finally earned her Dynamo badge. Through hard work, spirit, and determination, Angelina had proven that the bond with her Pokemon is her true unbeatable attack. Their next destination is Verdanturf Town and the Pokemon Contest.

**§To Be Continued§**

So now it's onward to Verdanturf Town since Angelina has her third badge. I shall return with the next chapter! Thanks for reading!


	21. Pika Power

Hey guys, I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! And thank you for the reviews! The document manager wasn't working for a few days, so I had to wait till now to post this! I don't own Pokemon except my own characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 21: Pika-Power**

While on the road to Verdanturf Town, our heroes have decided to take a small detour from the path to catch a shortcut. The sun shone down brightly on the vast plains below. The lush grass was so tall that it covered even the head of the average man. From above, the grass tops could be seen rustling wildly.

Deep inside the thick maze, Angelina leads the way through. She pushed the tall blades of grass to the sides, making a path for her and her companions to walk through. Chocolate, Christina, and Jeremy followed while sweating anime style.

"Don't worry, you two; once I find a way back to the trail, we'll be in Verdanturf Town in no time." Angelina assured her sister and friend.

"That's exactly what you said five minutes ago! We've been walking through this grass jungle for an entire hour!" Christina shouted with her temple beating anime style.

Jeremy pulled out his Poke-Gear and pulled up the map with a few clicks of the button. "I can't even tell where we are on the map." He said.

"Pikachu," Chocolate let out a sigh. She was tired of walking by herself and jumped onto her trainer's shoulder.

"We would've been in Verdanturf Town already if a certain someone didn't have to take a short cut through the tall grass." Christina shot and Angelina let out a sigh. "I'm getting tired and hungry!"

**_Brrriiiiiing—riiinnnnggg!_** The Poke-Gear inside Angelina's single-strap pack rang and vibrated. "Oh! Sounds like I've got some e-mail." she pulled it out and pressed the button nearest to the envelope icon. Christina and Jeremy crowded around her to see better.

"It's from Drew." Christina blinked.

"There's a voice mail on here. I guess Drew didn't feel much up to typing." Angelina clicked a button on the side and it made a beeping sound. **_"Hey, Angel, long time and no see! When you get to Verdanturf Town, there's a parcel for you from my grandfather. It may come in real handy during your journey— I guarantee it. Good luck!"_** With that, the message board on the Poke-Gear went blank. Angelina smiled and placed it back on her shoulder-pack strap.

"This is just another reason why we should find a way out of this maze." Christina said.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
**__**to listen to that voice inside.**_

_**I know the battle may be long,  
**__**winners may have come and gone;  
**__**I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
**__**this dream will never die,  
**__**we will rise to meet the challenge every time.**_

_**Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
**__**just know that you and I,  
**__**will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
**__**because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

Suddenly, Angelina heard rustling in the grass before her. Through the thick blades she could see something moving towards her. It was too small to be a human, so that meant it could only be one thing. Angelina reached to her belt, ready to draw her Pokeball like a cowboy would a gun. The footsteps drew close quickly—whatever was coming at them was running!

"Lina, what's up?" Christina asked.

Jeremy knew, but just folded his arms silently.

"….it's a Poke'mon!"

The blades of grass split and a flying, green Pokemon came rushing towards them.

Its zigzagged stomach, curly tail, and chameleon-like features ran all to familiarly in Angelina's head. "Kecleeon!" It slid to a halt before them.

Angelina grinned. "Kecleon, I challenge you to a Poke'mon battle." She turned to her Pikachu. "Go, Chocolate!"

"Pikachu-Pika!" Chocolate jumped out.

"Kecleon, Kecleon," Kecleon clenched it fist and teeth.

Angelina grinned, "Okay Chocolate, use your Thundershock attack!"

"Chuuuu!" Chocolate's glowing cherry cheeks discharged a fury of lightning bolts; they skipped across the grass and jolted Kecleon's body.

"Kee-e-eee-ee!" Kecleon shuddered.

Chocolate gave a grin.

"Kecleon!" Kecleon kicked off the ground towards its opponent. It flashed its claws and swiped at Chocolate furiously. The mouse Pokemon staggered backwards, shaking a bit from the pain. "

That must be Kecleon's Fury Swipes." Angelina frowned, "Hang in there, Chocolate!" she shouted.

"Pika!" Chocolate skipped off to the side and darted with her head lowered; Kecleon jumped to dodge the Headbutt. Chocolate's body shot from out of nowhere in another attempt.

Again and again, Chocolate tried to ram Kecleon with her head. "Pika!" "Kecleon!" Chocolate hurled her tail through the air heavily, but Kecleon jumped up high, barely missing by hair's width.

Chocolate and Angelina glanced up into the sky, glinting a bit from the sunlight.

"Keckleooon!" Kecleon opened its mouth and shot its long, pink tongue at its opponent.

"Bad move, Kecleon. Chocolate, strike with Thundershock!" Angelina thrust her fist through the air.

"Pii—ka—chuuuu!" Chocolate's cheeks forced an electric shock through the air that connected with Kecleon's wet tongue. The current traveled through it like a lightning rod and shocked Kecleon into submission.

"Kee-eee-eee-eecleon!" Kecleon plopped on the ground, sparking.

"Now, I'll capture it." Angelina reached into her single-strap pack and pulled out a spare Pokeball. "Pokeball, go!" she hurled it through the air. The ball bounced off of Kecleon before sucking it up in a red light.

Now, Angelina stood and watched as it wobbled, trying to secure her catch. She and Chocolate didn't dare make a sound as they watched intensely.

"There, you caught Kecleon. Now how about get moving outta' this maze?" Christina shattered the silence.

Angelina shrugged her shoulders and let out a sigh, "She's never gonna' let me forget this…. huh?"

The Pokeball wobbled wildly around the grass before exploding with a bright light.

"Kecleon!" Kecleon jumped out.

"Ack! The Pokeball didn't work!" Angelina shrieked.

"Kecle—onnn!" Kecleon pulled down its lower eyelid and stuck out its tongue at Angelina. Then it hopped away into the wild tall grass.

"Hey! Get back here; I'm still trying to catch you!" Angelina shouted and took off after it. Chocolate immediately tailed her trainer.

"Hey, wait for us, Angel!" Jeremy shouted and followed after them with Christina bringing up the rear.

Angelina pushed the tall grass out of her way as she ran. Kecleon was quick, but the battle had possibly slowed it down a few notches. Angelina could keep track of it by seeing the grass it pushed back. When the Pokemon turned, she would turn just as sharply. If it zigged, she zagged to match with a determination not to let it get away. Christina and Jeremy did a great job of keeping up with her; out of all their experience of being with Angelina, they've learned about how she gets when she's determined.

"Hey, watch out!" "Huh?...dah!" **_BANG!_** The next thing Angelina knew, she and her friends crashed into someone else and resulted in her face hitting the ground.

"Ohaaa.…" Angelina rubbed her head, "Okay, whoever you are, I'm gonna' need to see some license and registration."

"What happened?" Jeremy growled while Christina sat up.

"….oh, wow; I never thought I'd run into my old buddies Angelina, Chrisyina, and Jeremy." A familiar voice sounded.

Chocolate looked up and gave a smile. "Pika-pi! Pika-pi!" she jumped excitedly.

"Who is it, Chocolate?" Angelina glanced upwards as well. That green hair and those green eyes—who could mistake them? Angelina stood up and smiled. "Well, well, well; it's been a while since I've seen you, Wally." she held out her hand and Wally shook it.

Now, Wally was no longer the frail, sickly boy Angelina met back in Petalburg City. He wasn't as pale and stood strong and tall. Just from glancing in her eyes, Angelina could tell he was more confident in himself. Wally was wearing a blue, sleeveless shirt over a white shirt and blue pants that helped him look more confident as well.

"Yeah, I've already earned five different gym badges." Wally smiled.

"FIVE different gyms?!" "Pika!?" Angelina and Chocolate were taken aback by the news. Out of all they've been through, they've only been able to gain three trainer badges.

"Wow, you've certainly gotten stronger than the last time we saw you; you definitely have an edge over Angelina." "Hey! He didn't need to know that!" Angelina shouted and Christina smiled.

From out of the corner of their eyes, Wally and Angelina noticed that the grass was rustling again. "Oh-no, I forgot about Kecleon!" They shouted in unison. The two looked to each other, their eyes flashed with competitiveness. They both wanted to get that Kecleon, it was only a matter of who got to it first.

Without warning, Angelina and Wally dashed off through the grass, leaving their friends behind in their dust.

"You don't really think you're going to catch this one, do you, Angel?" Wally grinned.

"Just because you have five badges doesn't mean a thing." Angelina grinned back.

Kecleon's body became visible through the tall grass as they closed in on it.

Wally reached to his belt and pulled a Pokeball from it. "Pidgey, go!" He tossed it into the air and it burst open, revealing the flying bird Pokemon.

"Oh-no you don't. Chocolate, use your Agility to catch up with Kecleon."

"Pika!" Chocolate nodded to Angelina and sped up towards Kecleon like lightning.

"Pidgey, use Gust attack!" Wally shouted.

"Cukooo!" Pidgey clucked, soaring over Kecleon. It gave its wings a mighty flap and forced a powerful wind from the sky.

"Kecleoooon!" Kecleon was blown off its feet and onto the ground. The two trainers came to a stop when they were close enough to the battle.

"Chocolate, attack with Thundershock!" Angelina said.

"Piikaachuuu!" Chocolate launched a bolt of electricity from its cheeks, shocking Kecleon with little feedback.

"Kecleoooon," Kecleon eyes spun dizzily.

"Now, I'll try again." Angelina retrieved another Pokeball and Wally did the same. "Pokeball, go!" The two trainers hurled them through the air, both hoping that theirs would hit first.

A frown spread on Kecleon's face as it focused its eyes on the Pokeballs. "Kecleon!" "What?!" in a split second, Kecleon's body vanished into thin air, leaving the Pokeballs to just open up on the grass.

"Dang!" Angelina and Wally snapped their fingers. "After all that, we still missed it."

"Oh, well," Wally scratched his head. "Say, are you hungry, Angelina?" he asked his friend.

"When am I not?" Angelina flashed a thumbs-up.

"Then let's go get the others—I set up camp around here an hour ago."

Angelina walked with Chocolate sitting quietly in her arms. Wally led the way through the tall grass while Christina and Jeremy brought up the rear. Pidgey soared above in the sky, guiding them to them to the campsite Wally told them about.

"Angelina, could I hold Chocolate for a while?" Wally asked.

"Uhm, sure, I guess." Angelina said.

Wally turned around for a second and took Chocolate from Angelina's arms. "How are you doing, Chocolate?" He asked her.

"Pikachu-Pika!" Chocolate smiled happily, her ears twitching.

"Her fur is really smooth and shiny. You've been taking real good care of her." Wally complimented.

"Thank you," Angelina smiled.

"What have you been up to, anyway?" Jeremy asked Wally. "Well, I'm hoping I can get strong enough to compete in the Hoenn League." Wally said. " But other than that, it's been pretty weird."

'**_You can say that again.'_** Angelina thought in her head.

"Cuckooo!" From above, Pidgey gave a loud cluck and pointed forward with one wing while using the other to stay aloft.

"It looks like Pidgey has found the campsite." Wally said, stroking Chocolate's head.

Pidgey came fluttering down to perch itself on its trainer's shoulder. Wally stroked its crest gently and its body vibrated happily. "Nice work, Pidgey." He said.

The group pushed through a clump of tall grass and into a circular clearing. The grass there was dramatically shorter than the rest. Wally's backpack was chucked near a corner of the tall grass walls.

"See, Tina; this shortcut to Verdanturf Town wasn't a total loss. If we hadn't taken it, we wouldn't have met up with our old pal." Angelina tried to justify her mistake.

"Iipon to you, Lina." Christina said **_(Iipon means "One wins", "Winner", or "To win")_**.

Wally sets Chocolate on the ground and she trotted back over to her trainer.

"Angelina, before we do anything else," Wally ran over to the other side of the clearing, "I want to show you how much stronger I've gotten since we last met."

"A Pokemon battle? Who am I to say no?" Angelina grinned. She was indeed eager to see what skills her friend had learned in his travels. And she was pretty sure that Wally wanted to see how she had improved as a trainer as well.

Christina and Jeremy stood on the sidelines from their other two friends. "Good luck, Angel!" "Yeah, we're rooting for you!" they waved.

"This should be an interesting match." Jeremy folded his arms.

"Okay, I choose Chocolate!"

"Piikaa!" Chocolate jumped forward on all fours.

"Go!" Wally tossed a Pokeball forward and it burst open upon contact with the ground.

The Pokemon that came out looked like his Ralts, only its helmet of hair sprouted two pony tails to the side. Its eyes were sparkling red and its white body looked like it was wearing a tutu. As a matter of fact, the Pokemon looked like some sort of dancer. "Kirlia," It took a bow and waved at Angelina. It obviously remembered who she was.

"Okay," Angelina pulled out her Pokedex and flipped it open, pointing it at Wally's Poke'mon.

"**_Kirlia, the Emotion Pokemon. Kirlia is the evolved form of Ralts. It is said that this Poke'mon will grow beautiful if its trainer is filled with positive emotions."_**

Angelina placed her Pokedex back in her pocket and tossed her single-strap pack to the side.

Jeremy stepped up and held his hands out to both sides. "It's agreed that a one-on-one will be held." He announced, "Ready? And…. begin!" He jumped back.

Angelina's face turned serious. "Chocolate, use your Thundershock!" she opened up.

"Pika-pika!" Chocolate stepped forward with her cherry cheeks lighting up. They forced out a wild jolt of sparking electricity that bounced across the grass.

"Quick, use Protect!" Wally shouted.

"Kirliii!" Kirlia moved its hands in a weird way. The air before it rippled like water before forming a green, transparent wall like magic. The lighting flailed against it and fizzled out.

"Did you see that?" Christina asked.

Jeremy nodded, "Yeah; Kirlia's counter-move was perfect. It must've battle like this all the time and learned what move the other will make before it make its." He said.

Angelina was kind of shocked from Kirlia's first move, but shook it off for a fresh attempt. "Chocolate, use Quick Attack!" she exclaimed.

Like the wind, Chocolate darted off. She was nothing but a yellow-brown blur; her strike was swift and harsh as she crashed into the Psychic Pokemon.

"Grrrr!" Kirlia growled, staggering a bit from the sharp hit.

"Kirlia, Disable!" Wally shouted. "Kirli-Kirlia," Kirlia put its hands together and closed its eyes. A blue aura form its psycho-kinetic powers formed around it body lightly. Suddenly, the same blue aura surrounded its opponent dead in her track.

"Pi?" Chocolate blinked, sweating anime style.

"Now use your Confusion." Wally stated.

"Kirli-li-li-li!" Kirlia started to pirouette on one foot like a deft ballet dancer. A psycho-kinetic aura formed around it's body. The aura that was surrounding Angelina's Pokemon was turned from blue to purple—now, the power was switched.

"Kir-li-a!" The dancing Pokemon made an abrupt stop and its eyes flashed purple.

"Dahhh!" Chocolate was hurled onto the ground harshly.

"Chocolate, are you okay?" Angelina asked her Pokemon.

"Pikachu," Chocolate got on her feet and flashed a thumb-up.

"Whew! That's good to hear." Angelina looked up to Wally, "Your Pokemon is strong. You've been training well."

"You still haven't seen the best part, Angelina." Wally said.

"Then we can't wait to see. Chocolate, use Thunder Punch!"

"Pika-pika!" Chocolate darted towards the Psychic Pokemon with her fist drawn back; it sparked with a sharp white lightning. As powerful as the coming attack was, Wally remained calm and collected, then nodded.

"Huh?" Angelina frowned as she thought to herself, "What could he be thinking? Did I…. do something wrong?"

"Kirlia, dodge and use Headbutt!" Wally ordered.

"Kirli!" Kirlia dashed forward with its head lowered. **_BANG!_** Both attacks collided, knocking Chocolate down.

Chocolate sat up, shook her body, then looked back at Angelina. At first, Wally thought he caught a glimpse of them grinning, but Chocolate's watering eyes clearly meant something else. Chocolate faced Kirlia with a sad expression. Then it let out a snivel with her eyes getting bigger. Without warning, she let out a stream of tears, crying loudly.

"Kirlia?" Kirlia looked confused. Then it let out a sigh and sweated anime style as it stepped closer. It felt sorry for hurting her so hard and wanted to comfort her.

"Piii!" Chocolate bawled. Kirlia put a hand on Chocolate's shoulder.

"Piiii-kachuuuu!" **_SPWEEE!_** Suddenly, Chocolate's body burst with electricity that shot Kirlia back to the ground heavily.

"Hey! What was that for!?" Wally shouted.

"It's a Fake Tears attack." Angelina started to explain, "It seems pretty harmless and quite innocent—at first!" she grinned.

"Fine, then let's wrap this battle up, Angelina." Wally said.

"I agree; Chocolate, use Dig!" Angelina stated.

"Pika!" Chocolate jumped and dove head-first underneath the dirt.

"Go, rapid digging!" "Dang, it's gonna' be murder getting this out of her fur." Angelina gripped the Crystal Bell and started to sweat. If there was ever a time that she needed the Crystal Bell to react by her will, now was the time. She hoped Chocolate could feel her thoughts like before. Chocolate popped up from one side, then burrowed back under again. She did this several times, baffling everyone except her trainer.

"What is Lina doing?" Christina blinked.

"I have no idea—I've never seen anything like this." Jeremy told her.

"Now!" Angelina shouted. Chocolate leapt out of a hole and faced Kirlia. "Chocolate, use Taunt!"

"Piii-kaa!" Chocolate turned around and started swishing her tail in an annoying way. Kirlia's temples beat anime style; it was so annoyed, that it charged recklessly without thinking.

"No, wait!" Wally tried to stop his Pokemon, but it was too late. The Pokemon was already knee-deep in Angelina's trap.

"Thunderbolt attack!"

"Pika!" Chocolate jumped back into the hole she built. Kirlia, however, was still charging blindly.

From underneath the ground, Chocolate's voice could be heard. "Piiiikaaa—chuu!" The holes exploded with a furious barrage of electricity that rained all over Kirlia.

"Ah!" "Ack!" "Whoa!" Everyone gasped.

Angelina grinned and folded her arms as a cloud of dust kicked up wildly.

The smoke finally cleared on the battlefield. Chocolate was up on her feet, grinning. Wally waited till the dust on his side blew away. Kirlia was sprawled out on the ground, scratched up a bit form the massive shock.

"….No way!" Wally exclaimed.

"Yeah! We did it!" Angelina grabbed her Pokemon by the paws and leapt into the air excitedly.

"Great job." Wally helped his Pokemon to its feet. Then, Wally turned to Angelina, "I guess I still have a lot more training to do before I can ever beat you, Angelina." He said.

"Huh?" Angelina glanced to him, "I don't think that's true at all. Now, how about those sandwiches?" Her stomach gave a rumble.

With a full plate of sandwiches in front of them, the only sound coming from Angelina and her Pokemon were their eating noises while her friends chatted lightly.

"You still didn't tell us why you were over here." Angelina asked Wally, pulling her sandwich away from Chocolate as she tried to dive at it.

"I have relatives in Verdanturf Town. They wanted to check up on me, so I told them I'd be coming." Wally told her.

A smile spread on Angelina's face, "We're going to Verdanturf Town, too. We're going to compete in the Pokemon Contest they're holding there. Nobody knows it yet, but I'm gonna' be the one to win the ribbon!" she held up a fist. She felt totally confident that her abilities and Pokemon would totally blow the competition away. But then, didn't she always feel that way?

"Pikachu!" "Hey!" Angelina caught Chocolate by the tail, for she had finally made a successful attempt on her sandwich. "Out of all those on that plate, you steal mine?!" she scolded her.

After lunch, our heroes helped Wally pack up camp and continue their quest towards Verdanturf Town.

**§To Be Continued§**

Okay, the gang meets up with Wally and now they travel to Verdanturf Town. Also, this has the 7th season Pokemon theme song! I kinda got a writer's block on planning out the chapter, but the next chapter should be okay hopefully, thanks for reading! I shall return!


	22. Rusturf Rescue

Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except for my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 22: Rusturf Rescue**

Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and Wally gazed at the many different stores in Verdanturf Town. Chocolate chewed on a glazed donut while she layed atop her trainer's shoulder. Angelina held Shimmer in her arms, using a cloth to clean her scaled-skin gently. People on bicycles zoomed through the streets happily.

Verdanturf Town was nothing like the other towns and cities the group had visited—the air was much more pleasant to breath and the buildings brought out the true green of the grass. Being a town that sat on the foothills of a mountain made it even more pretty to look at. Some of the houses had small gardens in front of them with lots of multicolored flowers, while others were decorated with lawn gnomes.

Finally, our heroes made it to Verdanturf Town. What adventures will await them in this town? What surprises will they meet as they compete with the challenges that lie ahead?

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
**__**to listen to that voice inside.**_

_**I know the battle may be long,  
**__**winners may have come and gone.  
**__**I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
**__**this dream will never die,  
**__**we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
**__**Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
**__**just know that you and I,  
**__**will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
**__**because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

"What's so important that Drew had to call us for?" Christina wondered aloud.

"Well, we're on our way to the Pokemon Center. We can pick it up there." Jeremy said.

Angelina, however, wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. Instead, she pulled a blue case with from her single-strap pack and flipped it open. Inside was a bunch of cube-shaped candies in all sorts of different colors. She held out her other hand from underneath Shimmer and picked out a few blue ones. With a flip of the case top, she slipped it back into her single-strap pack.

"Here you go, Shimmer."

"Fee!" Shimmer gobbled up the square candies in Angelina's hand happily.

Then, Angelina went back to cleaning Shimmer's skin.

"Weren't those candies Poke-blocks?" Wally pointed to the candy.

"I've heard of those; they're candies that are supposed to be healthy for your Pokemon." Jeremy pointed out.

"Yeah, they are. And they're made from my very own special recipe." Angelina held up her hand and pointed her index finger, "I started blending my own ingredients into Poke-blocks before we left Slateport City and I've been trying different combinations that work best on my Feebas." "Bas!" she said and Shimmer smiled.

Christina glanced at Jeremy and grinned a sinister grin. Angelina started to sweat anime style—she had spent most of her life with Christina and knew her habits.

"Gee, didn't someone else want to enter the contest, too?" Christina slid up to Jeremy and poked him in the side. For once, he didn't say anything. "It looks like Angelina is more prepared than you. You're not gonna' lose to her, are ya?"

"Tina is right," Angelina started, "We've witnessed the Slateport Pokemon Contest, and Drew had told us before that contests are just as harder as gym battles."

Jeremy still remained silent, though his temple beated anime style to show that it was becoming very difficult to keep cool.

"It's no use talking to a brick wall—he'll be slacking off as usual." Christina placed her hands behind her back innocently.

"Oh, can it!" Jeremy finally exploded. Angrily, he reached to his belt and pulled out a Pokeball. "If I was seriously slacking off, I'd be panicking right now." he let it burst open in his hand.

There was a flash of shimmering light as a cat-like Pokemon was released onto the ground. Her creamy-tan fur glimmered in the sunlight and her eyes sparkled as if they were some sort of jewel. "Meo-wrowl!" She smiled sweetly.

"Whoaaa…." Everyone, except Angelina, gazed with dumbstruck expressions.

Angelina sighed, taking out her Pokedex.

'_**Delcatty, the Prim Pokemon. The final evolution of Skitty, its prefers to live an unfettered existance in which it can do as it pleases at its own pace.'**_

Delcatty appeared as if she had been to a professional salon and back in just a mere second. Just by looking at her fur, it was easy to tell she was both strong and healthy.

Jeremy gave a triumphant grin, "What was that about slacking off, Christina?"

Christina felt as if she shrunk down to a one-foot dwarf.

"In truth, Jeremy has been in Pokemon Contests and trained for them many years way before I have, that he has." Angelina stated. "And ever since I first saw Drew's performance in Slateport's contest, I decided to participate myself."

Jeremy stood next to Angelina, "Let's reveal our morning ritual!" they said together.

_**(A clock appeared behind them before they flashbacked to their morning ritual) **_

"Each morning, Jeremy and I get up bright and early." Angelina started, "We call our Pokemon and start with a morning jog around the area."

"Then, we groom our Pokemon's fur/skin, followed by breakfast that Angel made from a special healthy recipe."

"Afterwards; we feed our Pokemon some Poke-blocks that'll bring out a shine in their fur/skin and a pep in their step."

"Once our Pokemon are taking their break, Angel and I study the contest guide for about half an hour and come up with routine moves."

"Finally, we both end our morning ritual with a final Pokeball treat."

_**(Background effects end) **_

"Wow, you guys are serious about this." Wally told them.

"You'd better believe it." Angelina told him.

Christina had fallen all the way to the back of the group and kept her silence by staring up at the sky.

Angelina pushed through the glass doors of the Pokemon Center and walked up to the front desk. Jeremy walked over to the message board and Wally and Christina just waited by the benches. The entire center was a busy hustle and bustle with Pokemon talk from other trainers, fans, and other Pokemon associates.

"Hi, can I help you with anything?" Nurse Joy asked Angelina.

Angelina reached into her single-strap pack and pulled out her Pokedex, flipping it open. The screen fuzzed at first before flashing with her name and picture. "Message for Angelina Murakami." she smiled.

"….oh, yeah; just wait one moment." Nurse Joy walked back to the right side of the u-counter and withdrew a small box from the bottom desk drawer. She set it in front of her with a smile and held out a clipboard and pen. "Just sign here and it's all yours."

"Okay," Angelina wrote her name on the bottom of the paper, then took up the parcel. "Thanks, Nurse Joy!" she waved to her. Then, she averted her attention to the box. Inside were three pairs of goggles—one blue, one red, and one green—and a note.

"So, what's in the package?" Jeremy asked as he and the others walked up to her.

Angelina tore the envelope to the package open. "….the package may be from Drew, but it was originated from his/your Grandpa." she stated, "But the letter just says: **_'Devon Company's most recent product, the Go-goggles. They may come in handy later on.'_**….oh, wait—there's a P.S. here, too. **_'Angel, good luck and catch more Hoenn Pokemon_**!" she let out an annoyed sigh.

Jeremy put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't sweat it, Angel. You'll catch more Pokemon. But right now, you and I have a score to settle."

"Yeah," Angelina nodded.

As soon as they pushed out of the doors of the Pokemon Center, a series of police cars whizzed across the streets. Their sirens bent against the pure air loudly and forced everyone else to move out of the way. "Huh?" The group of kids blinked. The red and blue lights flashed into the distance towards the mountain area. Nurse Joy stepped out from the center with a look of worry. "I wonder what's going on out here?"

A kid with brown hair ran up to them, "Someone is trapped inside of Rusturf Tunnel!"

"That's terrible!" Christina gasped.

"Whoever they are should know that some of the entrances to Rusturf tunnel are unstable. They should be more careful." Wally stated, "My cousin, Wanda, used to point out ones that took a chance to crumble."

Angelina watched curiously as one of the police cars slid to a halt in front of the Pokemon Center. The dark window rolled down to reveal a man with light brown hair and green eyes. He was a little on the plump side and wore a blue shirt and red pants. "Wally!"

"Uncle Charles?" Wally blinked.

"Wally, I'm so glad you're here! Wanda is stuck in Rusturf Tunnel and we have to get her out." The man said.

"Dah!" Wally took a shocked step back. He couldn't believe that the same cousin who told him not to go playing around in the feeble tunnel entrances was trapped by the same means.

"We have to help get her out of there." Jeremy said.

"Right," "Pika!" Angelina and Chocolate flashed a thumbs-up.

Wally wrenched the door of the police car and jumped in first, followed by Christina. However, there's wasn't enough room for Angelina and Jeremy. Even if they tried to squeeze in, they wouldn't fit without having to sit on each other.

"Don't worry; I'll radio the next police car to let you in." Officer Jenny waved from the driver's seat.

Angelina nodded and the police car sped off in a swirling cloud of dust.

A landslide of rocks covered the mouth of Rusturf Tunnel securely. Tons of firefighters and police officers crowded around the cave entrance with their equipment to try and break the wall. Behind the police tape were tons of bystanders, shouting and yelling noisily. The Pokemon in front of the rescue team had only their small heads poked out of the dirt. Their noses were dark red, their fur was brown, and their eyes were black.

The only man in front of the tunnel that wasn't a cop was a man with sand-colored hair. He wore an orange button shirt over his blue T-shirt and white pants. "Okay, people; on my signal." He said to the officers and firefighters.

The rest of the police cars came to a screeching halt and Wally jumped out. "Wanda! Wanda, can you hear me?" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Wanda!"

"Wally?" A muffled voice was barely heard through the chatty people and large rocks.

"Hang on—I'm coming!" "Whoa, there! You can't cross that police line, kid." A couple of male officers grasped Wally by the arms to stop him from running. "Hey, let me go! My cousin is in there!" He shouted.

Angelina stepped out of the car before Jeremy and Christina. She gazed at the wall in confusion.

"That's really nasty-looking. I'd hate to be Miss Wanda right now." "Pika—pikachu," Angelina stated and Chocolate agreed. Her eyes fell on the Pokemon and a pang of excitement stabbed her. "Hey, those are Diglett!" she ran to the edge of the police tape and flipped her Pokedex open.

Click-ick! **_'Diglett, the Mole Pokemon. Diglett never pull their entire body out of the ground and are able to draw their heads under at the speed of sound. You can always tell where a Diglet has been by the upturned earth.'_**

"And…. now!" The guy with the sandy hair shouted.

"Diglett—" "Diglett—" The Diglett's light voices echoed around the area she they drew their heads underground like lightning. Their trails were traced by the pushed-up dirt they left behind them.

"Look at those little guys go!" Christina marveled.

"Yeah, they may be small Pokemon, but Diglett are super strong." Jeremy told her. The Diglett crashed into the boulders covering the cave and plowing through them.

"Yeah, that's the way. Keep your Dig attack strong, Diglett!" The sand-haired young man coached to the Pokemon. The boulders crumbled rapidly under the mercy of the Digletts' strength.

Wally wished he could help, but had to be satisfied with just watching. Rocks form above loosened and took a tumble down the face of the landslide.

"Chad, watch out!" One of the officers shouted loudly. The man with the sand hair jumped back just in time to miss being crushed by a stray boulder. Quickly, he pulled a silver whistle from his shirt pocket and blew on it. **_FWWEEEP!!_** "Diglett team, pull out! Another avalanche is forming!" He shouted. At the sound of his voice and whistle, the trail of uprooted dirt doubled back towards the entrance. A cloud of dust kicked up once the last brick fell to the grass.

The police, firefighters, and bystanders sweated a little bit from the nasty turn of events.

"Whoa!" Was all Chad managed to say.

"It seems that, no matter how many times they start to get through, more boulders will fall in its place." Jeremy stated, which wasn't very comforting to Wally.

"The problem is that they aren't hitting it fast enough." Angelina said, "Without the necessary speed, the rocks will keep falling in succession. But I bet we could break it." she looked to Chocolate.

"…...Chu! Pika-Pikachu!" Chocolate gave a grin and Angelina grinned back.

"Aww, man," Chad scratched his head, "How are we gonna' get through here?" If—what the freak?!" He suddenly gasped; Angelina kicked off the ground and over the police tape. Chocolate held onto her shoulder tight so as to not fall off.

"Hey, kid, you can't cross here!" One of the officers shouted. "Stop where you are!" "This is a restricted area!" Even though they kept shouting at her, Angelina continued to run towards the mouth of Rusturf Tunnel. She pulled out her rose-shaped staff. "Chocolate, use your Rock Smash attack to help me break up the boulders."

"Pika!" Chocolate nodded.

Angelina jumped into the air while Chocolate leapt off her shoulder and flipped her body forward to bring her tail down like a hammer. There was a series of flashes and they landed on the ground at the same time. There was a silent pause, followed by the bursting and crumbling of the boulder blockade.

Chad and the others watched in awe as the mouth of the cave was revealed.

"Huh?" The woman inside blinked. Just like Wally, Wanda's hair was a light shade of field green, which she put into two long pigtails. Her eyes were nearly close enough to Christina's sapphire. She was wearing a pair of white shorts and a green blouse. In her arms was a Skitty.

"Great job, Chocolate." Angelina told her Pokemon, placing away her staff as she squeaked in appreciation.

"Alright! I can finally get out of this cave!"

"Wanda, My dear Wanda!" Suddenly, Chad's eyes became big glimmering jewels as he ran towards her with out-stretched arms.

"Huh?...oh, Chad!" Wanda jumped up and dashed at him.

"Ugh…." Wally and Uncle Charles sweated anime style.

Chad pulled Wanda into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay." He told her.

"Okay, men, let's break it up; we'll clean this mess up later." A fireman spoke through a loudspeaker. The police all turned around and started for their ears. Officer Jenny and an ambulance stayed behind. The crowd had gotten bored and dispersed to find new interests. Finally, the fireman boarded their bright yellow fire truck and zoomed down the street.

"Hey, little girl," Chad said as he and Wanda walked over to Angelina, "Your Pikachu has been well raised."

"Thank you," Angelina smiled.

"Thanks for saving me. I'm Wanda," Wanda walked up to Angelina and held out her hand. Chocolate clambered up to her trainer's shoulder.

"And my name is Angelina Murakami. Nice to me you in person." Angelina shook Wanda's hand.

"Wanda! Hey, Wanda!" Wally jumped over the police line and called to his cousin.

"Huh?" Wanda turned to the green-haired kid running to her. Christina and Jeremy just walked behind him calmly. "Hello, little Wally." Wanda smiled to her cousin.

Wally hugged his cousin, "What were you doing to get yourself stuck in there, anyway?" He asked her.

"Yaa! Ya-ya!" the Skitty in Wanda's arms started to lick Wally's face.

"I was chasing Skitty around when she got lost in that tunnel. I went to go find her, but woke up a Loudred on accident. It cried so loud that it shook the entrance to Rusturf Tunnel shut. But then, Miss Murakami came and freed me."

"Please, Miss Wanda, you give me way too much credit. Thank my Pikachu—she handled the heaviest ones." Angelina blushed a little.

"Thank you, Pikachu." Wanda stroked under Chocolate's chin and her tail wagged.

Angelina reached up and rubbed Skitty's head. Skitty pushed back playfully with a giddy smile.

"Wanda, I'm so glad you're okay." Charles told Wanda, slapping her on the back a little too harshly.

"Thanks, dad." Wanda coughed.

Now that Wally's cousin has been rescued from Rusturf Tunnel, Angelina and Jeremy prepare for their participation in the upcoming Pokemon Contest.

**§To Be Continued§**

This chapter is similar to how it's seen on the GBA Ruby and Sapphire versions. The next chapter will be a fun one, it will be posted soon! Thanks for reading!


	23. Generations

Thanks for the reviews! So here's the next chapter that will provide the answer to your question. I don't own Pokemon, enjoy!

Chapter 23: Generations

Answering the mysterious call from Gym Leader Watson, our heroes make their way through Rusturf Tunnel to get to Mauville City by means of another "brilliant" shortcut. What dangers and hardships will Angelina and her friends face? And what's with the strange call?

"Hmmm.…" Angelina let her eyes wander from side to side around the cave. In her hand was her Poke-Gear with the map covering the screen.

The trio of kids walked through the turquoise caves quickly. A fresh cool breeze blew through the cracks of the cave's rooftop. Sometimes, the trail the kids passed would run by a small pond of water. Rocks that shone like jewels littered the very ground upon which they walked. Chocolate walked alongside her trainer on the ground.

"Now.…" Angelina's eyes bounced around a few different trails inside the tunnel. "Let's see; according to the map, the correct path is this way." she said lowly to herself.

"Angel, don't tell me we're lost again! I told you taking this shortcut was a bad idea." Christina told her.

Angelina just sweated anime style as she continued to walk silently.

"I knew it; we're lost again! You should've listened to me, Lina; now we're going to end up wandering around in this dark, dank cave forever. No one will find us! We'll have to turn into hermits…." And as Christina went on, parts of the cave seemed to echo with moving sounds.

Angelina looked back to Chocolate and they shook their heads. If Christina continued to carry on like that, she would wake up every sleeping Pokemon in the cave.

"Christina, I know where we're going, but right now, could you be a little quieter?" Angelina asked her in a low voice.

"Be quieter? But why?" Jeremy said as loud as Christina.

"Keep it down!" Angelina hissed.

"Tell me why I have to be quiet—" Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound from the side that caused the kids to turn to the side. Chocolate stopped and did the same.

A few small boulders along the cave wall started to rumble slightly, then burst off to the side. In the shadows of a small den that the boulders yielded was a pair of glowing blue eyes. Angelina felt a foreboding presence and took a step back. All of her friends did the same to stay behind her. The Pokemon slowly stepped out of the shadows, revealing its small figure. Its body was made of shining silver steal, except for its black belly. Its eyes were blue and narrowed at the kids while it kicked up dirt with its very small legs.

"Hey, it's an Aron!" Angelina exclaimed lowly. Jeremy pulled his Pokedex from his backpack and flipped it open.

'_**Aron, the Iron Armor Pokemon. Aron likes to build up its body by consuming tons of metal. No mater what its size, this Pokemon can topple over an entire dump truck in one tackle.'**_

"Aronnn!" Aron growled at them dangerously.

Jeremy and Christina held up their hands and started to back-step slowly. "Let's jus get outta' here slowly—"

"Pokeball, go!" Without warning, Angelina tossed a Pokeball at Aron; it bounced off of the Pokemon's body and sucked it up in a red light. Angelina watched the Pokeball wobble from side to side. She held her breath in response, hoping that her less than thorough catch would pull through. The Pokemon inside fought hard to break free; it did so by making the Pokeball bounce and roll vigorously. There was one final shake and the button in the middle flashed red.

"Whew! That was a close one." Angelina walked over and picked up the Pokeball. It stuck around in her palm for a while before disappearing in random bars of silver light.

"Take good care of Aron for me, Professor Oak." she said to herself.

Suddenly, more boulders were pushed to the side from the cave wall. Leering blue eyes gleamed from the shadowy holes dangerously.

"Aron!" "Aronnn!" "Arrrr!" "Aron!" One by one, angry and aggressive-looking Aron jumped out onto the ground from their homes. Another from their sleep, they growled and hissed at the intruders. Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate took a nervous step backwards, sweating anime style.

"Arrronnn!" With a roar, the wild Aron started to charge.

"Runnnnn!" Angelina shouted and the group turned-tail to run for their lives. "See, you two, that's why we needed to keep it down!" she exclaimed, not daring to stop running.

"Well how were we supposed to know we'd wake up a bunch of cranky Pokemon?" Christina questioned.

Angelina's body rumbled from her running on the rough ground. Her eyes darted around for some way to ditch the Aron.

"Aroonnn!" The Pokemon roared behind, them, sending chills up their spines.

"There!" Angelina pointed to a small dark hole in the up-coming wall. She and Chocolate were the first to jump in, followed by Christina and Jeremy.

The ground rumbled as the Aron dashed by them, not bothering to slow their rampage.

Chocolate crawled up to Angelina's shoulder. There was nothing they could do now, but let the train of Aron pass them by.

Angelina let out a sigh, "Okay, we'll just let them pass by and continue on."

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.**_

_**I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

"Maybe next time, you two will be quiet when I say it." Angelina scolded her friends as they walked on, her temple beating anime style.

Christina and Jeremy sported sad looks and kept quiet for the rest of the trip. The group turned around a corner along the trail to see a burst of sunlight coming through the mouth of the exit.

"See, guys, we're almost out now." Angelina lead the in a sprint up to the end of the trail.

All of them couldn't wait to be back outside again—especially Christina. The friends burst out into the daylight and onto a green hill. Down below, they could see Mauville City next to the lake.

"Yeah…." Angelina smiled as a light breeze blew against her hair.

"Let's hurry and see what Watson wants from us." Jeremy said and everyone nodded.

Angelina and Chocolate chewed on a hamburger as they walked across the sidewalk. Christina and Jeremy had an ice cream cone instead of a burger to satisfy their stomachs. The group figured that Watson would be at his gym, so they headed in that direction. Mauville City remained as busy as ever. Since the bike shop was near, most of the people rode bicycles instead of driving cars.

"Speaking of gym leaders, I've wandered something." Christina started.

"Huh?" Angelina looked to her. "Why would someone as strong as Watson need help from a group of kids? You'd think he could fix it better than any of us, wouldn't you?"

"A gym leader isn't unbeatable—Angelina has already proven that." Jeremy said and Angelina blushed minutely.

Off to the side, a familiar chubby man came stepping out of the general store with a disappointed look on his face. Floating beside him was a Magnamite, which was sporting the same expression. "I can't believe this is happening. Can you, Magnamite?"

"Magnaa…" the Pokemon told its trainer. They both let out a sigh and started down the sidewalk. When the man glanced to the side, his eye caught Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy. "Hey, Angelina! Over here!" He called.

The group turned around and smiled.

"Hello there, Watson!" Angelina waved. She ran across the street onto the other sidewalk with her friends behind her.

"How are you kids doing? It's been a while." Watson smiled, petting Chocolate on the head.

"Pi-kachu!" Chocolate smiled happily.

"It hasn't' been that long, and we're doing fine." Angelina told him.

"Magnamite!" Magnamite floated around Angelina, smiling.

"Hey, Magnamite," Angelina said to it.

"Watson, what was the e-mail you went us for?" Jeremy asked the gym leader.

"Oh, yeah," Watson's cheery expression faded, "I need to ask a favor of you three."

"What is it?" they asked.

Watson motioned for them to follow him and started down the sidewalk. The three kids and Pokemon looked to each other, shrugged their shoulders, and started to walk on behind him.

"For the past few years, the Mauville City council has been constructing a secret tourist attraction called New Mauville. They figured that if they could find a way to increase tourists, our city would have even more outstanding ratings. New Mauville is a…. well, 'tourist trap' so to speak; an underground city full of hotels, food courts, pools, and other tourist attractions." Watson started to full at his beard as Magnamite hovered by his side, "As the construction increased, however, more power was needed to support the city council decided to use electric Pokemon to power up the large generator that is wired to all of New Mauville's electric system. Everything was going fine, until some of the Pokemon accidentally over-powered the massive generator; the high voltage was enough to confuse the Pokemon and caused them to unintentionally attack the workers. No one has been able to get close to the city ever since."

"Wow.…" "Those poor Pokemon." "Pikachu-pika," Jeremy, Christina, and Chocolate stated. Angelina was drawn into the story, interested in every last detail.

"It gets worse," Watson continued, "Not only is the confusion crisis a problem, but the generator has way too much power now. If it continues to go untreated, it could explode." He stopped and turned to the kids, holding up his index finger, "If that were to happen, the impact from New Mauville will also set Muaville City ablaze."

"No!" Angelina clenched her fists and teeth. If the city were to blow up, innocent people and Pokemon would die. Now, she wanted to help even more just to save the lives at stake.

"Not even my electric types were a match for the boost of power the other Pokemon got from the generator. That's why I needed you three; I was searching for a team that could withstand and attacks of the Pokemon down in New Mauville. I knew I could count on you three because of the bond you have with your Pokemon, and also, so none of this is leaked to the press—the last thing we want are pandemonium and rumors."

"You can count on us, Watson. Right, guys?" Christina turned to Jeremy and Angelina and they nodded.

"Thank you; you don't know how much this'll mean to all of us." Watson reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver key marked with a gold letter "M". "This is the key to get past the gate. New Mauville is located right in the middle of the lake—a boat will be waiting for you."

"Watson, exactly how much time do we have before the generator goes sky high?" Jeremy asked him.

"I'd say….about an hour, so you'd better hurry."

"You can count on us." Jeremy pulled out his Poke-Gear and selected the icon. With a few clicks, the yellow timer flashed on the screen with exactly one hour.

Angelina led the way, sweating a bit from their lack of time. If she even had the slightest clue about New Mauville, she wouldn't have been so nervous because this was her first attempt to turning off a generator.

Angelina left Muaville behind and dashed across the field of grass next to the lake. She and Chocolate looked out to the vast lake in search of some deserted island cave in the middle. Chocolate gripped her trainer's shoulder to keep herself from flying off. In the middle of the lake was a small rocky cave that protrude from out of the water. The steal door blocking it off let them know that they were heading in the right direction. A wooden wharf had a small motor boat tied to it vacantly. It was a wonder why some of the walking people didn't seemed to be the least bit curious.

Angelina slid down the small hill and jumped into the boat. Christina and Jeremy followed and unhooked the rope.

Jeremy cranked up the motor and started to drive towards the island-like cave.

"About how much time do we have left, Jeremy?" Angelina asked, sitting with her arms folded.

"Roughly forty-five minutes—all the time world, right?" Jeremy grinned.

"Hey, guys, I just thought about something." Christina started, "If the Pokemon in New Muaville were confused by the generator's high voltage, what's stopping our Pokemon from doing the same?"

"The only electric Pokemon we have is Angelina's Pikachu and it can ground any excess electricity with its tail." Jeremy said over the roar of the motor boat. The water parted behind them as they sped across the surface. Some fish Pokemon leapt over them or parted out of their way.

The island entrance to New Mauville pulled up to them and Jeremy slowed the boat down to a halt. With the boat secured to the wharf, the kids jump out and started for the steel doors. It was definitely different now that they were close up; the front was marked with a large letter "M" and the entire door was embroidered with pictures of Pokemon.

Angelina reached into her pocket and pulled out the key Watson had given her. On the left side of the door was a small keyhole.

"Well, if any of you want to turn back now, here's your chance." Angelina said.

"Lina, don't do that." Christina told her.

Angelina pushed the key into the hole and turned the key. There was a loud creek as the doors slowly pushed off to the sides. The light from outside shot into the dark rocky corridor, falling on another steel door at the far end.

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy started to jog their way through and pushed through the other door. This time, the hallway had lights strung across the top that sometimes flickered. Instead of being flat ground, the floor was actually a staircase leading downwards. The smell of new construction blew through the air—they were only a skip and a hop away from New Mauville City. Their bodies rumbled their jogging down the steps.

"Huh?" Angelina looked up when the lights flickered completely out for a second. "That generator must be getting worse; every time these lights flicker, they seem to get brighter from the power output." she started to sweat.

The wall to their right soon disappeared to reveal a bright city concealed inside a cave. The setting overhead was dark and starry as if the day had turned into night in an instant. The lights glittered in a rainbow of colors from the restaurants to the hotels.

"Wow, it's like something out of a story book." Christina stated.

"I wouldn't mind spending a few nights here." "Pika…chu…" Jeremy said and Chocolate agreed.

"Hey, look over there!" Angelina pointed out.

In the distance, a tall cylindrical turbine was surrounded by a steel gate. It made a mechanical wind sound as it turned, sparking a bit wildly.

"All we have to do is get to the generator and its smooth sailing." Jeremy said.

Somehow, Christina and Angelina know that would be easier said than done. They jumped off the final step and into the streets of New Mauville. The buildings whizzed by them as they bound through the streets.

Chocolate's radar ears twitched and she let her eyes wander around. She checked the alleyways for anything that might be hiding in them.

Jeremy pulled his Poke-Gear from his pocket and clicked the timer. "….thirty minutes left. We've taken too long in getting here."

"Pikachu!" Chocolate gave a sudden jolt and went all stiff with her tail and pointed ears standing straight up.

"What is it, Chocolate?" Angelina and the others came to an abrupt stop.

"Lina, over there!" Christina pointed to the alleyway farther up the street.

From the shadows, glowing red eyes shot deadly looks at the kids. The Pokemon floated out to reveal themselves as Magnamite.

"It's a whole group of Magnamite!" Angelina exclaimed. "I was wondering when we'd run into some of those confused Pokemon."

"Magnaaa!" The magnetic poles at Magnamite's sides lit up and burst with electricity.

"Dah!" Angelina jumped to the side; Jeremy grabbed Christina and leapt to the opposite side of his friend. "They're not kidding around!" he shouted.

"Then we'll have to fight them all." Angelina reached to her belt and pulled two Pokeballs from it. "Go, Shadow! Go Crimson!" she threw them and they burst open in a bright white light.

"Absoool!" Shadow grinned.

"Vuul!" Crimson growled.

"Pika-Pikachu," Chocolate clambered down from Angelina shoulder and faced the Magnamite.

"Go, Treecko!" "Go Totodile!" Jeremy and Christina called their own Pokemon.

"Magnaaa!" The group of Magnamite used their Thundershock one after the other, bursting with a rapid jolt of electricity.

"Go, Shadow; absorb the attack!" "You too, Treecko!" At their trainers' voice, Treecko and Shadow dashed forward ahead of the other Pokemon; the electric attack merely sparked at their bodies, fizzling out.

"Sol!" "Ko!" The two grinned.

"Magnaamiteee!!" The Magnamite charged at them in a flying tackle.

Angelina took a shocked step back—they still wanted to fight them even though their electrical attacks were useless. "We don't have the time to mess with these Magnamite; with a little less than half an hour, time is of the essence. Crimson, use Ember attack!" she shouted.

"Vuuuul!" Crimson leapt forward and spurted a blast of cinders from its mouth.

Smoke and singe sounds sizzled from the Magnamite, as they were weak against fire-type attacks.

"Treecko, Petal Dance attack!" Jeremy exclaimed and Treecko balanced itself on one foot; with a swing of its other leg, it started to spin around and around like a spinning top.

From it's tail, a wind of pink flower petals whirled through the air, pelting the Magnamite harshly.

"Namiteee!" The Magnamite glared as they stopped themselves from falling. Their red eyes glinted aggressively; the group of Magnamite huddled together and started to make their Magnetic poles vibrate. Without warning, a burst of wild fired with a loud boom; both the kids and the Pokemon were hurled back, landing harshly onto the street.

"What was that?" Christina sat up.

Angelina sat up and rubbed her head, "It must've been Magnamite's Sonicboom attack." she said.

"Another one of those and we'll be sent even farther." Jeremy got to his feet.

"Are you guys okay?" Angelina turned to the Pokemon and they answered her with a smile. She smiled, standing back up as well.

"Totodile, use Water Gun at full blast!"

"Toto-diiiiile!" Totodile blasted a jet-stream of water from his mouth and moved down the row of Magnamite.

"Yeah!" Christina jumped excitedly.

The Magnamite floated back up into the air slowly, some huddling close together. The kids watched as they started to connect to some of their fellows via an electrical current. There was a bright light that surrounded the Magnamite who wee connected and they started to position themselves in a triangle shape. The electrical current closed the gap between them and the bright light desperced in one final flash. "Magnaaatoon!" The three new Magnaton drown.

"They…. just evolve!" Christina exclaimed.

"The battling must have been enough to give them the boost for evolution!" Jeremy stated.

The Magnaton and Magnamite inched closer towards them, poised to strike. "Magnaaaa!"

"Magnaaatonnn!" The magnet Pokemon fired sharp bolts of electricity from the magnets on their bodies angrily.

"Huh!" Angelina scooped up Christina's Totodile and jumped back to miss the concentrated lightning that cracked the spot they were standing in.

"Lina, we can't keep fighting like this; we're gonna' have to run away!" Christina told her sister.

Angelina nodded and held up two Pokeballs. "Great job, Shadow, Crimson; return," A red light shot from the middle and sucked Absol and Vulpix back into their Pokeballs.

"Good work," Christina and Jeremy did the same with their Pokemon.

Chocolate clambered onto her trainer's shoulder for safety.

"Now, let's find a place to—whoa!" Angelina had turned to run, but was forced to skid to a halt.

The ball-shaped Pokemon, Voltorb, had rolled in front of Angelina, joined by its fellow comrades. Behind it were two more ball-shaped Pokemon. They were quite a bit larger than Voltorb and their color red was on the bottom rather than the top. They had small black eyes and a big grin on their faces. It may have seemed a little foolish at the time, but Angelina never passed up an opportunity to learn about a new Pokemon. She pulled out his Pokedex and flipped it open.

'_**Electrode, the Ball Pokemon. This Pokemon is very dangerous. If it has too much electricity stored up and has nothing to do, it amuses itself by exploding.'**_

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy backed into each other; on the side, Magnamite and Magnaton threatened to shock them, and on the other, Electrode and Voltorb threatened to blow up on them. Between the two, it wasn't pretty on either side.

"Pikachu-pika!" Chocolate pointed to the alleyway between the hotel and the breakfast house.

"Good idea, Chocolate. C'mon, you two!" Jeremy darted off towards the side and at the alley.

Angelina and Chocolate followed, the Pokemon rushing right at their heels.

"Voltoorrb!" _**SPWEEE—KABOOOOM!**_ Angelina felt the wind from one of the exploding Voltorb and nearly tripped. They passed through the shadows of the alley and turned around the corner street.

Angelina didn't know how close they were to the generator. To tell the truth, she was so scared that she forgot about it for a second to try and save their lives. "Hmmm…." she glanced down at her Crystal Bell. She remembered Jeremy had once told her that she had an inner strength, and that the Crystal Bell would help her draw it out. So far, Angelina had witnessed that the Crystal Bell allowed her to create a deep link with the Pokemon she was close to. Maybe, with a little bit of luck, she could tap even deeper into the powers of her Crystal Bell and stop the Pokemon. Angelina closed her eyes and concentrated hard on the electric Pokemon chasing her. She visualized a glowing blue light deep within herself. A drop of water fell from the light and rippled in the ocean of her spirit. She focused on visualizing the Pokemon in their pure forms; on returning them back to normal.

"Angelina, watch out!"

"Huh!?" Angelina's eyes snapped open—to see the wall of a building rushing towards her. "Whoa!" she slid to a halt with her nose just inches from the bricks. A drop of sweat dripped from her forehead slowly.

"Pika-chuu," Chocolate let out a sigh of relief.

"What were you doing, Angel?" Jeremy folded his arms.

"Sorry; I dozed off a little bit."

"Don't sleep with your eyes open, Angel! Now c'mon!" Jeremy grabbed Angelina by the arm and started into the dark alleyway. Christina followed and they hid in the shadows.

There were more exploding sounds as the Voltorb and Electrode continued to self-destruct. The ground rumbled form each explosion shot off.

"Hopefully, they won't find us in here. 'Learned this trick from a friend of mine." Jeremy flashed a thumbs-up.

"What friend was that?" Angelina blinked. Jeremy and Christina just stared at her, sweating anime style.

Angelina poked her head out of the alleyway and let her eyes wander around. The city seemed to be clear enough—not a single Pokemon was in sight. She looked one way while Chocolate looked the other way. Angelina's eyes fell on the generator and she frowned. The lights around the area flickered once more, becoming a little brighter.

"Everything seems clear. How much time do we have left, Jeremy?" Angelina told his friends.

"We only have twenty-six minutes left and we're nowhere near the generator. Do you think we can still make it?' Jeremy asked.

"We have to make it; if we don't, all of Mauville will go up in flames." Christina said, staring at the ground emotionally. "Just think of all the Pokemon and people who'll be caught in it."

"We can't afford to sit around, talking. Let's get over there right now." Angelina got to her feet and started through the alley. Christina and Jeremy followed with the same determination.

Angelina jogged through the shadows, frowning. _**SPWEE!**_ "Hah!" she suddenly leapt back and the others came to a stop as a bolt of lightning bounced from the end of the alleyway.

The Pokemon twitched its black-tipped ears and lit up its bright red cheeks. "Pika, chu!" the Pikachu arched its back at them. From around the other corner, two more Pikachu came hissing and sparking.

"Why won't they let us through?" Jeremy growled.

Angelina turned to her own Pikachu. "Go, Chocolate!" the Pokemon jumped in front of her trainer's feet. "Give these Pikachu a Thunderbolt attack."

Chocolate nodded and clenched her fists, her red creeks sparked lively. "Piiiikaaachuuuu!" her cheeks burst with a shot of blue lightning that forced the Pikachu back onto the ground.

"Pika," Chocolate grinned.

"Good job, Chocolate. Let's go!" Angelina started to run for it again with her friends following. Chocolate jumped back onto her shoulder.

They burst out of the dark alley, darted past the Pikachu, and bound around the corner. Angelina looked around for a place they could use to implement their strategy. Any place would do as long as nothing could sneak up on them.

"Hey, Lina, I just thought about something. How are we supposed to get ever over that steel wall guarding the generator?" Christina asked her.

"Well…. I guess Jeremy and I could try to break through, or we could use one of our Pokemon to get over it. But right now, we need to find a safe place to form a plan."

"How abut over there?" Jeremy pointed to a small little restaurant. It was the only building of which the lights weren't turned on.

Angelina grinned and sprinted to it. She pulled the door in and let her friends go in first before following in himself. With a slam of the door, the bell overhead rattled wildly.

Inside of the restaurant was dark and quiet. The small cushion-seated chairs sat at small round tables topped with salt and pepper shakers. The tiles of the floor were checkered and the walls were striped with purple. The front counter was clean and polished to perfection, even though it was vacant. An inactive jukebox sat along the wall to add character to the restaurant. Chocolate admired its rainbow of colors and buttons.

"I don't think any Pokemon are in here, so we're safe for the time being." Jeremy said.

Christina and Angelina let out a sigh and plopped onto the floor. "Whew! I'm beat!" They said in unison.

Jeremy explored around the counter, looking at the shake machines on the back wall. Chocolate walked over to the juke box to get a closer look.

"Hmmmm…." Angelina thought out loud—there had to be some way to get to the generator quicker.

Suddenly, the sound of music went bouncing around the entire vacant restaurant.

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy averted their attention to the jukebox to see Chocolate pressing buttons until she found the "off" switch. Her cheeks went pink from the embarrassment she had just received. Angelina chuckled, shaking her head.

That's when her eyes fell on something floating above the counter behind Jeremy. It looked kind of like something out of a video game—a virtual duck that was mostly pink with blue marks on its body. It stared at Angelina with its glaring eyes. However, there was a difference in its eyes; they didn't glow red like the confused Pokemon.

"J-J-Jeremy, look out—right there—it's right there!" Angelina stammered, pointing to the Pokemon.

"What?" Christina and Jeremy looked to where she was pointing. When they saw the strange Pokemon, they sported the same shocked look as Angelina.

"Dah!" Jeremy jumped back with his fist poised to attack.

"Not another one!" Christina exclaimed.

"What is it?" Angelina opened her Pokedex yet again.

'_**Porygon, the Virtual Pokemon. Since it's man-made and doesn't breath, scientists are eager to try it out in different environments. This Pokemon can travel through the internet.'**_

"_**What are humans doing here? This area is off limits to anyone."**_

"It can talk!" Angelina exclaimed.

"_**I do not wish to fight with you humans, so I'm giving you a fair warning." **_Porygon told them.

"Why don't you tell that to the Pokemon who attacked us earlier!" Jeremy said a bit irritably. Christina shot him a mean look and stepped in front of him.

Chocolate clambered onto Angelina's shoulder, feeling more secure with her trainer.

"Excuse me, Porygon, but we're not trying to hurt anything. We're just trying to shut the generator that threatens to—"

"_**No! You humans put that generator down here and knew it would be overpowered to the point where it would destroy the ruins of Registeel!"**_

"_**Ruins of Registeel"**_ Angelina clenched her teeth and frowned.

"But we didn't do it, we're trying to keep it from blowing up!" Christina stated.

"_**Nonsense; I am the protector of these ruins and am not to let anyone enter them. I must take care of that generator myself and that's why I let all of those Pokemon attack you."**_

Christina stared at the ground in defeat; she felt that there was no way of getting through to Porygon.

Angelina, however, was more intrigued with what Porygon had said earlier about the ruins. Now, it was her turn to step up and questioned the Pokemon. "My name is Angelina Murakami." she removed the Crystal Bell from around her neck and held it out before the Pokemon, "You said something about the ruins of Registeel?"

Porygon gazed at the Crystal Bell, then to Angelina. Its eyes started to glow and the world around them went into a black oblivion. The Crystal Bell started to vibrate and glow in a light blue.

"Huh?" Angelina let her eyes wander around, her voice echoing.

"_**You're an Origin Waker, aren't you?"**_ Porygon asked.

"How did you know that?" Angelina put the Crystal Bell back around her neck. Chocolate clung to her shoulder, not daring to move.

"_**The bell—that's your identification as an Origin Waker. It rings to show that it really does belong to you."**_ Porygon told Angelina.

"What my sister says is true; we are here only to help."

"…_**.I guess you check out. If you can help get rid of that generator, then I shall lead you to it through a shortcut in the ruins of Registeel."**_ Porygon nodded.

There was a rush of strong wind and Angelina's hair swayed wildly. The abandoned restaurant came flying back into focus instantly.

"Huh?" "Pika?" Angelina and Chocolate blinked. Everything seemed as if the short and secret conversation never existed.

"_**Okay, I'll help you three. But you have to do your best to help us not blow up." **_Porygon told them.

A smile spread on Christina's face and she looked up gleefully. "Oh, thank you, Porygon."

"We only have ten minutes exactly—we have to work fast!" Jeremy said, glancing at his Poke-gear. Now, the numbers were yellow instead of green.

Porygon floated over to the jukebox and used its beak to press the button on the lower left. There was a rumbling sound as the music machine started to vibrate; it slowly slid to the side, revealing a short rocky corridor. A light breeze blew from inside like a cool breath.

"_**Hurry!"**_ Porygon told them.

Angelina was the first to run in, followed by Christina, Jeremy, and Porygon. Through the corridor, they burst into a large, long room of shimmering chrome and stone. Pieces of the room were ancient, but it only added to its beauty. On the walls were engraved pictures of the steel Pokemon titan. The floor was littered with silver rings, cups, and jewels, each depicting as story about Registeel. The vast room was a lit by a few glowing orbs that floated atop the ceiling. At the end of the room, a tall pillar-like tower was constructed right under a small sparking hole in the ceiling. On it were more picture stories, but of all three Poke-titans this time.

At the base of the pillar were tons of electric Pokemon. Their eyes were an agitated red and their bodies sparked with more electricity the closer the humans got.

Porygon floated on ahead to reach the Pokemon before Angelina and her friends. _**"Stand down," **_It said to them, _**"They are here to help us. Please do not attack our only chance to survive this."**_

The electric Pokemon looked at it skeptically, but didn't say a word. The sparkling of their bodies decreased to show that their guard was down. Angelina came to a stop at the foot of the pillar and looked up. "Okay, what do I do from here?" she blinked.

"_**At the top of the pillar is an open bulb. Your Crystal Bell is the only thing strong enough that can retain the generator's power."**_ Porygon told her, _**"If you can absorb all of the power from it, it should shut down completely."**_

"Right," Angelina nodded, hoping that she could tap the dormant powers in her Crystal Bell. She let out a sigh and placed a hand on the pillar. With only five minutes left to go, she didn't have time to waste.

Up above, the entire city of New Mauville was glowing a warning red. The turbine of the generated turned vigorously as it smoked and sparked wildly. The pressure of the on-coming explosion forced it to rumble heavily.

Without a second thought, Angelina started to shimmy up it. Chocolate followed right behind to offer any help it could. A drop of sweat fell from her head as she climbed.

"Angel, you only have a minute left!" Jeremy called. It wasn't exactly comforting news, in any case.

'_**No pressure, right?'**_ Angelina thought to herself. To tell the truth, the cool metal felt better against her warm body. Her friends and the Pokemon down below watched intensely, holding their breath.

"Wha!" Angelina slipped slightly and there was a gasp from below. She perked herself up and stepped to the top.

Just like Porygon said, there was a bowl on a slender pole that was just small enough for the Crystal Bell to fit. Chocolate clambered up and stood beside her trainer.

"Well…here goes," Angelina placed the Crystal Bell in the spot; it started to glow and vibrate lightly.

Angelina kept her hand on it to try and concentrate its power. The Crystal Bell suddenly erupted with a blue wind that shot up to the hole above. A mixture of wind and lightning started to draw mass amounts of energy down. Chocolate stepped back, but stuck close to her trainer.

The entire room trembled heavily; statues and vases toppled onto the floor with a crash of clatter. Angelina's hair swayed wildly from the wind the power was creating. No matter what, she kept her focus on willing the energy from the generator. Christina and Jeremy stared in awe at the spectacle.

"She's…actually doing it!" Christina exclaimed.

The electricity came rushing form the generator in vast quantities. The power was so much that Angelina started to feel a little faint. It was as if there was no end to the output of energy.

"Pika!" Chocolate tried to lift her by cheering her on.

Angelina fell to one knee, clenching her teeth. _**'The power…. there's too much! I'm gonna' be sick—I don't think I can keep going!'**_ she thought to herself.

"_**Is that all that the great Angelina—the girl with the power of both worlds—has?"**_ a sudden deep voice rang in Angelina's head. She opened his eyes to see the very same Pokemon she saw on the picture before her. Registeel's features were undeniable; that black middle, those claws and body, and the hexagon marking on its face. _**"You'll never defeat me like that, you upstart."**_

"Ahhaa!" Angelina gasped, falling back. She wasn't sure if the others had seen Registeel, but didn't care if they did. She just wanted somebody to stop her from falling. The wind rushed in her ears and the Crystal Bell still hummed.

"I got her!" Christina and Jeremy held out their hands, catching Angelina and Chocolate.

The vibrating bell finally cut off the blue wind and the electricity dispersed.

From above, the generator slowed to a complete stop, becoming calm and silent. Jeremy's clock on his Poke-Gear just started to beep from the elapsing at the last second. The eyes of the electric Pokemon lost their red glow and became calm.

"Yaaah!" they exclaimed happily.

"Lina, hey, its your friends." Christina's voice sounded in Angelina's ears.

Angelina's eyes trembled and she rolled over. All she really wanted to do was rest and sleep.

"_**Thank you," **_Porygon smiled to the humans, _**"As thanks for helping us, I shall teleport you back to the surface." **_The Pokemon's body became outlined in a rainbow color to show its psychic power. The three humans and their Pokemon became outline in rainbow as well and vanished into the air.

At the Pokemon Center, Christina, Jeremy, and Watson stood in the door of the rental room. The light in the hall flowed slightly into the room. Angelina and Chocolate snored soundlessly in the bed, not able to be awaken at all. They looked kind of cute in such a docile state.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate you three doing this." Watson whispered to Christina and Jeremy.

"No, problem," "Besides, Angelina just needs some rest." Christina and Jeremy told him.

"Here is something for your trouble." Watson reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, pearly scale. "It's a Dragon Scale I found. You can have it if you want." He said.

"Cool!" Jeremy took it up.

"And a little word of advice," Watson started, "If you are going through Regal Desert, make sure you have a way to see through the constant sandstorms." the three glanced at Angelina and smiled.

Thanks to Angelina, the generators were finally stopped. And what did Registeel mean by

'_**The power of both worlds'**_? Find out your answers next time!

**§To Be Continued§**

In the GBA Ruby and Sapphire version, your character (girl or boy) is asked by Watson to stop the underground generators in New Mauville. So this chapter was based from that, but I twisted in different ideas, and the reward was a Dragon Scale instead of a TM. Thanks for reading, I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	24. Arabian Tales

Back again! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except for my ideas and characters. Enjoy!

**Chapter 24: Arabian Tales **

The ground was like a sea of golden sand, sparkling from the sunlight. The air was dry and warm—as a desert should be. However, the splendor could not be enjoyed as much as it should have been. A vicious sandstorm raged across Regal Desert's entire landscape. Sand brewed in a mighty torrent of wind that spiraled and twisted wildly. The wind blew against Angelina's hair as she, Christina, and Jeremy walked through Regal Desert. Chocolate was inside Angelina's single-strap pack while the kids were wearing the Go-goggles that Drew's Grandpa sent them to protect their eyes from and actually see through the whirling storm.

Jeremy was trying to eat a rice star, but was finding it a bit difficult. With their feet ankle-deep in the sand, they couldn't help but get some in their shoes. "….hey!" There was a sudden violent rush of wind and the rice star was blown right from Jeremy's hands.

"Geeze! That makes three rice stars—and that was my last one!" He exclaimed.

"Jer, do you have any idea where we are?" Christina asked.

Jeremy held up the Poke-Gear and clicked the map icon. "Well…"

"We're lost, aren't we?" Christina blinked, sweating anime style.

"Yeah, pretty much," Jeremy smiled, sweating anime style as well.

Angelina adjusted her blue goggles on her eyes and looked out into the distance. Ever since she got the last symbol on her left hand, her body had been feeling weird. It was as if some kind of new power was radiating through her body, begging to be released. She held up her hand and unclenched her fist. Even through her black glove, she could see the components glowing in a respective orange, blue, and silver.

"Lina, are you okay up there? You're kinda' quiet." Christina asked out of concern.

"I'm fine—just fine," Angelina answered, though she still sounded deep in thought. She pushed her bangs from her face, which was hopeless because the wind just blew them back.

In the distance, four shady figures were heading their way through the desert of gusty sand. While the two in the middle were tall, the ones on the outside were short.

"What's—er—who's that?" Jeremy stated.

Angelina and Christina blinked as they averted their attention to the distance.

The closer the figures came, the more distinct their forms became. The two men in the middle were wearing a police uniform consisting of a blue, long-sleeved shirt marked with a few badges. Their pants were snow-white and stuck out clearly in the desert sand.

On their heads were fancy turbans, and at their sides were two sharp scimitars. The vicious sandstorm didn't seem to bother the black sunglasses on their eyes.

The green Pokemon at their sides marched with their pointy arms folded—a couple of Cacnea.

"Hey, maybe those guys know a way to Fallarbor Town!" Angelina perked up.

"Or at least out of this desert!" Jeremy smiled.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get all this sand out my shoes." Christina thrust her fists into the air.

Angelina was the first to start racing towards the men with her friends following.

Chocolate moved around a bit as she enjoyed the cool and safety of her trainer's single-strap pack. Angelina figured her running motions must have awakened her.

"Cacnea-cacnea!" The Cacnea on the left pulled on its trainer's pant leg.

"Yes, I see them, Cacnea. And this time, they won't get away." The guard grinned.

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy caught up to the guards, panting. Now, their shoes bulged with sand.

"Hi, nice storm we're having." Christina started.

The two guards remained silent and straight-faced. The one with the mustache folded his arms.

"Excuse me, but we're lost and want to know how we can get to the next town from here." Angelina asked them very politely.

Still, the guards and their Pokemon didn't say a word. Instead, they drew their scimitars swiftly at the kids.

"….!" Angelina gulped as the sword stood stiffly at her nose. Christina and Jeremy were frozen stiff in their spots.

"You're under arrest for high treason against the prince of Dune City." The guard on the left finally said.

Angelina's eyes wandered back to her other friends, who gave her the same questioned expression. "Eh-heh," she forced a smile, sweating anime style, "Look, there must be some mistake. We just got to this desert and—" _**CLINK!**_ "HEY!" Angelina frowned as a pair of metal handcuffs were slapped on her wrists. The guards did the same to Christina and Jeremy with the same amount of mercy.

"What's the big idea—we didn't do anything wrong!" Jeremy growled angrily, pulling at the chains.

"Explain it to his majesty in Dune City. Now MARCH!" The guards pointed their swords at the kids.

Jeremy was reaching the peak of anger—he could've started fighting right there and then if Angelina hadn't shook her head.

Angelina did her best to remain calm, through her friends wanted to argue. After all, if she panicked, everyone else would, too. "Don't worry, guys; I'm sure everything will be fine." she said as they started walking, "All we have to do is explain ourselves and we'll be home free and in another town as well."

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time. **_

_**Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

"Let me outta' here—let me out, now! You can't keep me locked up in here—I am the League Champion of Kanto and Johto! I'm perfectly capable of cutting through these bars!" Angelina's shouts echoed against the wall of a dark, stone dungeon.

Hardly any light was allowed inside the prison—a few windows permitted the sun to flow through. As vast as it was, it was quite empty. Any sound that was created would carry on for a little while. The prison portion remained on the sub-level and a stone staircase lead up to the exit.

Christina and Jeremy sweated anime style as Angelina wrestled with the bars. "So much for our 'calm' friend." "I know that's right." they said.

"Excuse me, Mr. Guard." Angelina called up to the single guard at the top of the steps.

The guard, who was still in a turban and sunglasses, didn't make a move.

Angelina frowned, reached up, and pulled the Go-goggles from her head. She ran them across the bars back and forth loudly. Now, she was just being plain annoying. Even Chocolate was looking at her trainer with the slight of embarrassment.

"You could at least look at me—I'm making enough noise!" Angelina stated.

"Lina, just stop; it's obvious that he doesn't want to answer back." Christina let out a sigh.

Angelina turned to her. Her senses came back about her and she nodded. While dropping to the floor and replacing her hat on her head, Chocolate crawled into her lap to comfort her.

"Some things just never change, do they?" A female voice sounded from the cell across from the kids. Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate averted their gazes. The shadows kept her hidden, so she had to come close to her bars to be seen. Her eyes were brown and her long hair was a lighter shade than Christina's but with pink high-lights. She looked the same age as Angelina's brother—and wore a red tank top, blue pants, and black shoes. Around her neck was a bell that was deep amber in color. "Yo', Angel; it's been quite a while, right?" She winked.

"….?" Angelina blinked at her, examining her face. At first, she was a mystery to her. However, another close look made something in her memory click. "….Amber? Amber Trainum, is that really you?" Angelina blinked. The girl grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. "AMBER! I haven't seen you since the Johto League Silver Conference!" A smile spread on her face.

"It's nice to see you too, Angelina." Amber smiled to her friend.

"Amber, what are you doing in here anyway?" Christina asked.

"Yeah, thought you were competing in the Indigo League Tournament?" Jeremy added.

"Well yes, I placed third while Harrison won second. So now I decided to travel out to the Hoenn Region again, and I was walking through the desert when two goons caught me." Amber told them, folding her arms calmly.

Angelina was thrilled to see her other best friend, but didn't fail to notice the bell around her neck. Pretty strange how it looked just like her own bell.

"Hey there, Chocolate," Amber noticed Angel's Pikachu, whom was addressed and walked up to the prison bars.

"Pi-pika!" Chocolate smiled.

Amber examined Chocolate from her cell. "….she still looks pretty healthy—you're doing a great job with her, Angel." she said and Angelina smiled.

There was a sudden creaking sound that caused all of them to avert their gaze.

The door to the dungeon swung open slowly beside the guard and a small kid stepped into the dark cell. He had long, sand-colored hair and blue eyes. Despite his small size, he was dressed in a royal white cloak and robes. He looked down to the prisoners and started down the steps. "I'm so sorry about this, you guys." He said, "I didn't mean to have you locked up like that." He ran to Amber's cell and reached into his pocket.

The kids looked at the boy with an air of uncertainty and confusion. First, they were being treated like a bunch of criminals, and now some kid was trying to apologize to them. The boy pulled a key from his pocket and started to work the lock loose.

"All right, I'm finally gonna' be outta' here." Amber said in relief.

The boy undid Angelina's cell lock and they all stepped out into the stone aisle. "Please, come with me." He bowed politely to them and started towards the stairway. Amber and Angelina blinked at each other; it was nice to see a familiar face of a friend Angelina never forgot. They nodded to each other and walked after the young boy.

"Wow, it really is a small world after all." Christina said.

"C'mon, Tina; don't go all Walt Disney on me." Jeremy folded his arms a bit irritably. He wasn't as chipper as he was earlier, that was for sure.

When they got up to the guard at the top, Angelina bowed politely to him as Chocolate climbed to his shoulder. "I'm sorry, sir, for annoying you earlier."

"Uh…" The boy in the robes forced a smile, sweating anime style.

The guard's eyebrow twitched and he clenched his teeth. Angelina sweated anime style at his irritability.

"Kid…" He shook, "I'm only gonna say this once," He reached up and pulled his turban and sunglasses off. That long black hair, those sparkling green eyes and long eyelashes—it could only mean one thing. "I'm a woman, not a man!"

"Dah!" Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and Amber jumped up in shock.

"Oh, leave it to Angel." The two girls put their hands on their heads and sighed.

"I'm sorry, miss—so sorry—!" Angelina kept bowing to the female guard, who looked ready to choke her. That would explain why she never answered her.

The four friends and the boy walked away form a splendid Arabic-style palace and into the street of a beautiful desert city. Every building—including the palace—was constructed with snow-whiten bricks and magenta roof tops. Grand balconies of the palace reminded the kids of something like the Tahj Mahal. The sun shone down on the white-brick sidewalks and yellow-brick roads.

Angelina marveled at the different stores and shops that people flocked in and out of. The most amazing thing was how the sandstorm they traveled through earlier was simply a light breeze in the city. People walked through the streets with their various desert Pokemon that were use to desert climate. Chocolate was back inside Angelina's cool single-strap pack, sucking on her trainer's water bottle.

"Please allow me to apologize again." The boy started as his guards walked beside him,

"My name is Prince Ishtar. What's yours?"

"I'm Amber," "Christina," "My name's Jeremy," "And I'm Angelina—Angel Murakami." The kids answered him.

"Nice to meet you all. I guess you're probably wondering why I captured you. Nothing personal, it's just that lately, Dune City has been spotting a bunch of thieves. The Oracle Museum has been broken-into twice yesterday. The odd thing is that both times, the didn't take anything. It's probably because they're looking for something specific." Ishtar turned around and walked backwards to not only look at them, but to keep going as well. "As an apology form me, I want you four to spend the night at the Oasis Suite—at leas, until the sandstorm dies down a bit."

The four looked at each other with excited grins. A fancy hotel was definitely a step up from a murky dungeon cell. And the fact that it was free made it even more exciting. One of the guards bent down to whisper to the little boy prince.

"…..now? They do?...oh, fine." Ishtar nodded in hushed ones. Then, he looked back at the four kids, "I'm sorry, but I have something important I must do. Please excuse me." Ishtar gave a respectful bow. With a turn, he stepped off to the side and started back toward the palace with his guards following him.

Amber stretched out her arms and slapped Angelina's shoulder. She was much shorter than her and, the way she hit her, made her look like her young sister. "So, Angel, what've you been up to lately?" She asked her casually.

"You wouldn't believe some of it." Angelina glanced down at her Crystal Bell, "But we've had tons of great adventures together."

"What about you, Amber? Don't you get lonely traveling all by yourself?" Christina asked.

"Yeah, but then, I do have my Pokemon. So, I guess I'm not really alone at all." Amber smiled. "And I've heard from Professor Oak that you have some Pokemon."

"When you hang around with those two everyday, they start to rub off on you." Christina complimented, smiling.

"And what about you? You're being quiet." Amber glanced at Jeremy.

"Oh, no he's not." "Hey!" Jeremy growled at Christina and the two girls giggled.

Angelina reached into her pack and pulled out her badge case, "Look, Amber; I've won three gym badges since I've left Pallet Town." she flipped it open to reveal the small number of gym badges she and her Pokemon earned.

"Still have quite a way to go, Angel." Amber told her.

They stepped at the corner of the sidewalk at the edge of the intersection. The smell of food suddenly caught the kids' noses. Even Chocolate popped her head out of Angelina's shoulder-pack to whiff the air.

"Hey, that smells pretty good." Angelina's stomach growled and she sweated anime style.

"Looks like you still have that speaks-for-itself stomach. How about lunch on me, guys?" Amber offered.

"Sure—what a great idea!" Christina smiled.

"Really, Amber? You know my eating habits just as well as these two." Angelina blinked at her. Amber grinned and shook her finger.

Everyone inside the restaurant sweated anime style in shock. A few fans overhead spun slowly, swishing the warm air around. The waitress behind the counter let her wooden tray drop to the ground with a clatter.

In the corner booth, Christina and Jeremy sat back in a bit of embarrassment; the entire table was spread with tons of food. It looked as if the entire menu had been thrown into a single booth. Angelina and Amber scarfed down meal after meal with little hesitation. It was as if they were in a race to see who could get finished first. Even though they were eating wildly, they didn't spill a drop of soup or a single noodle. With all that food, Christina was happy Amber was the one paying for both their stomach.

"…Hun?" "Huh?" Angelina and Amber drove their forks into the same chicken roll. The sharp look of competition glared in both their eyes. Immediately, they both started to pay a tug-of-war with the food. "Hands off, Roo!" "Yeah, right, Angel!" As they pulled back and forth, Amber grinned to herself as they let the chicken roll break in half.

"Hey, Angel; I wanna' see how good you are. Let's have a Pokemon battle—one-on-one!" Amber suggested.

Angelina swallowed her food and nodded. "I thought you'd never ask. I'll show you how strong we are!"

Some bystanders gathered around in the street, some who were in the restaurant, and some who just happened to pass by. Christina and Jeremy stood beside the door of the restaurant, finishing off the last of their meal. Amber and Angelina stood across from each other in the street. A light breeze blew some sand through the air to give the setting a sort of old western theme.

"Are you ready, Angel?" Amber stood with her arms folded.

"Yeah, let's do this." Angelina pulled a Pokeball off her belt and threw it near a fountain.

"Go Shimmer!" from the light formed her shiny Feebas in the water.

Amber reached into her backpack and pulled out a Pokeball. "Go, Starmie!" She threw it and it burst open in a bright flash of light. The Pokemon was shaped like a ten-point star; the gold-bordered ruby in the middle of its body made it look more appealing. "Kuuuu," It bounced lightly.

"Wadda' ya' think? A star for a star?" Amber winked.

"We'll show you some stars. Shimmer, use your Water Gun!"

"Fee! Fee! Fee!" Shimmer splashed in the murky blue water and sprayed out a jet of blue water from her mouth.

"Not likely, Angel. Use Water Gun, Starmie!"

"Kuuu!" The top middle point of Starmie's body bent forward and blasted a burst of water.

The two hydro blasts went crashing into each other, exploding in a widespread of sudsy bubbles.

"Aahaaaaa!" The audience marveled.

Amber and Angelina gave each other competitive grins through the air of popping bubbles. "Not bad, Angel." "Same to you, Roo."

Shimmer stared at her reflection in the middle of Starmie's core. She used that as a focus point to try to use against the starfish Pokemon.

"Starmie, go into a Rapid Spin!" Amber exclaimed.

"Kuuuu-kuuuu!" Starmie hopped up, turning its body sideways; it started to spin like a Frisbee. It cut through the wind and struck Shimmer in the side.

"Feeee!" Shimmer shook off the pain.

Starmie spun around in the air to come spiraling back towards her. "Shimmer, try to counter with your tail!" Angelina suggested.

"Fee-bas! Fee-BAS!" Shimmer jumped out of the water and swung her tail like a baseball bat.

"Kuuuu!" Starmie crashed into the ground heavily, making it shake lightly

"Good job; now use a Bubble attack!" Angelina stated.

Shimmer sucked in a stomach full of air, holding it in for a second before shooting out an explosive array of bubbles.

"Starmie, counter with a sideways Rapid Spin!" Amber shouted.

Starmie got up and started to spin like a wheel towards Shimmer. A trail of dust followed behind its attack. Starmie plowed though the tiny exploding bubbles as if they weren't a big deal.

"Now, use Psybeam!"

"Kuuu!!" The star-shaped Pokemon bounced into the air and spun to face Shimmer. Its core lit up brightly, bursting with a prism-colored beam of energy.

"Baa!" Shimmer rolled to the side; the attack struck the fountain and caused a huge wave of water to rise.

"Whoa…" A drop of sweat fell from Angelina's face.

If Shimmer was hit by that, it would've been real bad. Judging by the look on her face, Shimmer was thinking the same thing as well.

"Shimmer, are you okay?" Angelina called to her.

"Fee, Feebas," Shimmer nodded, still sweating anime style.

"Your little Feebas looks scared. Maybe you should call her back." Amber said with a triumphant expression.

"Not a chance!" "Bas-Bas!" Both Pokemon and trainer stated.

"Then let's wrap this up. Starmie, use Water Gun—full blast!"

"Kuuuuuu!" Starmie's top point erupted with a strong burst of water.

"Shimmer, fight back with the same!" Angelina exclaimed. Shimmer released a jet-stream of hydro power from her mouth. The audience watched as the two collide once more, shaking the area a bit. Millions and millions of bubbles swirled through the air.

Neither Pokemon was willing to give up the power struggle.

"Keep going, Starmie!" "Hang in there, Shimmer!" The trainers cheered on their partners.

Starmie's body trembled form the pressure of the attack it tried to ward off. Angelina and Amber let a drop of sweat roll down the sides of their cheeks nervously.

"Heellllp! We've been robbed!" "Huh?" _**BANG!**_ The two water attacks exploded in a furious burst of bubbles.

Someone came bursting through the crowd, saying, "Hey, someone just broke into the Oracle Museum again. This time, it looks like they really did some damage!"

There was a loud commotion from a mass crowd of people as Officer Jenny and her other officers wrapped police tape around the tall, stone museum. The sinking afternoon sun melted behind the horizon and dyed the sky yellow, orange, and red.

Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and Amber pushed through the crowd as they made their way to the front. In their arms, they held their Pokemon to keep them from being stepped on. Once again, Chocolate was sipping water form Angelina's water bottle. They pushed to the front at the edge of the police tape, marveling at the grand stairway. Prince Ishtar stood in front of the museum with his arms folded. The royal guards stood close as usual to protect him.

"Prince Ishtar?" Amber blinked.

"What happened?" Christina asked him.

"Don't mind her; she's a lost cause." Jeremy stated, sweating anime style. "Hu!"

_**CLACK!!**_ "Owwww!" Jeremy crouched, rubbing his head as tears flew from his eyes.

Christina's temple beat anime style; she stood over Jeremy with a Japanese fan clutched in her free fist. "I'm a lost what?" She growled.

"I take it back—I take it back!" Jeremy cried.

"There was obviously a break-in by those thieves again. This time, they've made it apparent of what they're after." Prince Ishtar, who was looking very serious, unfolded his arms to reveal a golden jewel clutched in his hand. What really caught Angelina's attention was that she had seen that item before. It was a golden ring with a ruby sun on one side and a Sapphire Moon on the other. _**'That object!'**_ she thought to himself, _**'That's the same object I've seen in my Poke-Sphere! But what's it doing here?'**_ "This is what the thieves wanted—the Cielo Drive. It's worth a lot of money, so they could be trying to get rich quick. As our newest attraction, they should know that it's our most guarded."

"Hmmmm…." Amber scratched her cheek. She didn't know what it was, but something made Angelina glance at her. That's when she saw the bell around her neck glowing slightly.

The night air was much calmer than it was during the day. Now that the city lights lit up the sky, Dune City really was a colorful jewel in the middle of the desert. The Dune Hotel was on of the most colorful and tallest buildings in the entire City.

The lights to Angelina's suite were out. The two feather-soft beds were pushed to either side of the room with Christina snoring in one and Jeremy in the other. The moonlight beat down onto the red carpeting and fancy nightstands.

Angelina stood on the balcony, staring down at the city. She was still wearing her clothes form before versus being in her pajamas. The very light breeze played against her bangs for a little bit as she went into a deep state of thought. _**'The Cielo Drive…..what is its true purpose? And how do I figure out the mystery behind it?'**_ "Hmm…" she stood up form leaning on the guardrail. "I guess I'll take a walk and stop racking my brain." she started back into the room, closing the glass doors behind her.

"Pika-chu!" Chocolate skipped in front of her trainer's feet, she sported an excited smile.

"Ssshh," Angelina knelt down to her Pikachu, "I'll be right back, so be quiet." she rubbed her on the head and started to walk out.

"Chu," Angelina felt a sudden tug at her foot and glanced back; Chocolate had a grab on her shoe. It took her a little while, but once she got the hint, she smiled to her. "You wanna' come along—is that it?"

"Pika!" Chocolate nodded excitedly. Angelina knelt down to let Chocolate clamber up to her shoulder, and then left out of the door silently.

The city was also much quieter at night than it was during the day. Still, tons of people walked and biked their way though the streets. Even in the night, the smell of food was heavy in the air. Angelina stared up at the stars to go out back into her state of thought. The fact that the Cielo Drive had re-located itself to Dune City brought up questions about the symbols on her left hand.

"Angel? Hey, fancy meeting you here at this time of night."

"Huh?" Angelina snapped out of her thought sequence. From down the sidewalk, Amber walked up towards her. The moonlight shone off of her brown hair distinctively.

"Amber? What are you doing out here?" she blinked at her.

"I could ask you the exact same thing, Angel. But if you really want to know, I don't really feel like going to sleep just yet." Amber told her.

"Same here; why don't we walk together for a little bit?" Angelina suggested. Amber nodded and they both started down the sidewalk.

Angelina and Amber came to a stop at the intersection. Once again, the smell of food gently tempted their stomachs. But while Angelina's mind was on food, Amber's expression was much more serious. By now, Chocolate had fallen asleep on her trainer's shoulder.

"Roo, let's go get a cheeseburger or pizza." Angelina suggested.

Amber smiled at her, "While those are both tasteful ideas, I have something more serious to discuss with you, my friend."

"Whoa, it must be serious to turn down your stomach."

"Angelina, take a look at this." Amber took the bell from around her neck, stopping abruptly. Angelina watched her hold it before him, closing her eyes. Suddenly, a small speck of light glimmered inside the bell's core. It vibrated with a light ring that, as soothing as it was, woke Chocolate. Angelina watched in awe as the Crystal Bell gravitated towards the amber-colored bell.

"….that bell…. so you are an Origin Waker, Roo!" Angelina exclaimed and her friend nodded.

"Yeah, that's right. I've been one ever since the day I started my first Pokemon journey and hoped that you could be one, too. I guess it came true." Amber smiled.

Angelina, however, wasn't as calm about it. She was happy, but more so surprised. "Wow, Roo!... but wait; if you're an Origin Waker, then you must be out here for a reason." she stated.

"Right again, Murakami. I'm out here because I sense a darkness hovering over this town."

"You sense a darkness?" Angelina blinked at her.

"Angel, I know the power of each bell an Origin Waker possesses. All of our bells can sense darkness, depending on the level of the user. Mine has the power to sense Legendary Pokemon and powers of the other Origin Wakers. Your bell has the ability to feel and share a spirit with Pokemon. You of all people have the potential to understand Pokemon the greatest." Amber told her.

"If you can find Origin Wakers, than you must know Syorin. Could you tell me his bell's special power?" Angelina asked eagerly.

"Sorry, Angel, but you have to find out for yourself. Right now, you must focus on your spirit's weapon. I know you are close to unlocking it, you just don't know how to make that final step." Amber told her. She started to walk down the street with her friend following.

Angelina pulled off her glove to gaze at the markings on her palm. They were still glowing, but not as brightly as before. "Do we all have one?" she asked without looking up.

"Yeah, but in different forms."

"Tell me, Roo, how you became an Origin Waker?"

"Well, for me, it's kinda a family thing. I was trained by Marcus for this." Amber answered.

It seemed that Angelina was the only one who wasn't trained to be an Origin Waker. While everyone else knew what they were doing, she was out dabbling at being a hero. Maybe Syorin was right—maybe her lack of training truly made her unworthy.

Hours later, the sun rose high into the morning sky. Once again, Duke City was a busy hustle and bustle of people. Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy stood at the edge of the city with Amber. Chocolate stood at her trainer's feet on the warm sand.

"So, you're on your way back to Pallet Town?" Christina asked.

"Yup, that's right." Amber answered her.

"Say hi to Mom—she'll be surprised to see you." Angelina said, and her friend nodded.

"It's only too bad we all couldn't stay another day." Jeremy told her.

"Yeah," Amber agreed. With that, she waved goodbye to them and started in the southern direction, the wind blowing against her cape.

The trio of friends pulled their Go-goggles over their eyes and walked in the opposite direction. As our heroes walk on, who knows what surprises whisper on the desert wind. Find out next time.

**§To Be Continued§**

A lot was mentioned in this chapter. Amber Trainum returns for a little bit, she placed third at the Indigo League Tournament, her newest Pokemon on her team is Starmie, and she has an Amber Bell and is also on Origin Waker. Thanks for reading, next chapter will be up soon.


	25. Numel Party

Hey again! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 25: Numel Party**

The sun barely begun its rise over the horizon in the early morning sky. The light peeped over the tall Mt. Chimney, grazing the tops of the forest that blocked the route from the mountain. A nice cool breeze blew form the west and rushed towards the mountain.

Angelina was up bright and early that morning. She was near a few trees that stood off to the side of the trail; reading her Poke-Sphere. The morning dew fell from the leaves onto her face lightly. Her hair was down and wet, since she didn't dry it off after her morning wash up. She made sure she left her friends sleeping back at the spot where they set up camp at.

Our story starts out in the morning, while both people and Pokemon are still asleep.

Striving to better understand the secrets of her powers, Angelina reads over the Poke-Sphere. Will she be able to do so? Only time will tell.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

"Hey, Angelina!"

"Huh?" Angelina turned back.

Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate were running up the trail to her, fully dressed. Christina held Chocolate while Jeremy held Angelina's single-strap pack.

"Hope I didn't worry you guys," Angelina said, "I'm so sorry—I should've told—"

"Chill out, Lina; we were already up." Christina told her. Chocolate clambered onto her trainer's shoulder.

"…up the whole time?" Angelina blinked.

"Ever since you left."

"What were you doing?"

Christina and Jeremy grinned at Angelina; Jeremy reached into his backpack and pulled out the field guidebook. With a few flips of the page, he came to a stop on a page with a Japanese-style restaurant. The roof was a nice dark jade, and the building itself was an apple red. Next to the photo was a briefing of the restaurant, a short menu, and a map of its location.

"……the Chimney Shack? That's awesome kind of restaurant?" Angelina blinked.

"That's not just any restaurant!" "Dah!" Christina and Jeremy exclaimed so powerfully that Angelina crashed to the ground at their voices.

Angelina blinked, sweating anime style.

"This is the famous Chimney Shack, one of the five-star restaurants around the Hoenn Region." Jeremy stated.

"Five star, huh?" Angelina blinked, continuing to listen.

"Picture this, Angel; a whole table full of the best and vast selection of noodles in the world. Rice, where each and every single grain is prepared to perfection; sizzling-hot fish being cooked right in front of you." As Jeremy carried on, Angelina's face got a spacey, drooling feature; she didn't realize how hungry she really was until now. She could see each dish being named out.

"Chuu…." Chocolate's stomach rumbled.

"And there's all kinds of soups and stews. Long submarine sandwiches are always an option; we'll be heading up to it real soon, so—"

"Jer, I think that's enough." Christina said, pointing to Angelina.

Jeremy sweated anime style at the giddy look on his friend's face. "I can't wait to get some of that—matte," ("matte" means wait) Angelina's expression turned from hungry to serious, "If this is a famous five-star restaurant, then I just learned one thing."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Christina asked her.

Angelina reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. Upon turning it over, a puff of dust fell out. "Being hungry and broke can really bum you out." she let out a sigh.

Jeremy seemed to have over-looked that factor too; he closed his eyes, sweating anime style.

But Christina, on the other hand, gave another grin to them. "Not to worry; I knew we'd need this." She reached into her backpack, rummaging through her stuff. Angelina and Jeremy watched in silence. "….Aha!" Christina pulled out a draw-string bag that jungled when she shook it.

Angelina and Jeremy looked at her, to the bag, and back again in disbelief. "B-but….how'd you get all that?" They gawked.

Christina held up her index finger and winked at them. "Let's just say that Team Rocket actually came in handy for once."

"Don't tell me—" "—you stole that money!?" The two teenagers exclaimed.

_**CLA-CLACK! **_"Owwww…." Both Angelina and Jeremy rubbed their heads gingerly. Chocolate had the insight to jump off her trainer's head before she was struck with Christina's fan.

"Don't be dense!" Christina said, her temple beating anime style, "I did some treasure hunting of my own a while back and sold my goods in Dune City. Now, we have enough to go eat at the Chimney Shack." She explained.

Angelina got up to her feet and took her single-strap pack from Jeremy. With it on her back and Chocolate on her shoulder, she was the first to start down the dirt trail. "Then let's get a move on—no questions asked!" she thrust her fist into the air.

Christina and Jeremy dashed after her, shouting, "Hey! You can't leave here without us!" "Yeah; I wanna' be first to that restaurant!"

By now, Angelina's energy hype had faded away from her. As a matter of fact, all of them were trudging along the forest trail. Their stomachs growled at them, begging for food.

"Oh, man; I need something to eat." Jeremy said.

They couldn't wait till they got to the Chimney Shack; just the thought of food pulled at their guts. As they trudged though the forest, they sweated anime style from hunger.

Angelina tried to convince herself that the entrance to Mt. Chimney was real close, but she knew how much forest she'd have to cover first.

"…Chu?" Chocolate gave a sudden glance in the distance before them. Her ears twitched and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Chocolate, what's wrong?" Angelina blinked at her Pokemon.

"What's that up there?" Jeremy pointed forward, drawn to whatever it was as well.

Angelina looked up; in the distance between trees, a black smoke billowed into the air. It snaked its way around the sky and faded into nothingness. Since it wasn't that far away, the kids could smell the scent of burning.

"Smoke…. in the middle of the forest….!" Suddenly, Angelina's and Jeremy's eyes widened. "Fire!" They exclaimed at the same time and they dashed off down the trail.

"Wait!" Christina cried, but it was too late; the two teenagers had dashed off way to fast. Sweating anime style, she started to jog in their direction.

Angelina lead the way, pushing through underbrush and wild leaves. The bird and bug Pokemon fluttered or scampered away when she rushed by. The burning scent became stronger the closer they became to the smoke.

"Swampert, use water on the flames!" Jeremy shouted when they burst through the bushes into a clearing. Swampert burst from its Pokeball; opened its mouth and spat out a jet-stream of water. _**SPWWWSSSSSSSS!**_ There was a steaming sound as the once black smoke was turned into rising steam

"Yeah!" Angelina held up her fist in victory. "….huh? What's this?" Both her and Jeremy's looks of triumph faded into surprised expressions.

"What happened?" Christina caught up to them, pushing through the bushes. Once she saw the middle of the clearing, she sweated anime style. What Jeremy and Angelina actually attack was a portable grill that had been cooking four fish. Now, both the grill and the food were dampened with water.

"….uhn!" Someone's voice flailed for breath and words. From out of the bushes, a large man stood before the clearing. He was very muscular with spiky brown hair. He wore no shirt and his white pants were jagged at the hems. Beside the man was a Machoke. Both of them dropped their nets of fish to the ground with shocked expression on their faces.

"Awww…. our fish is ruined!" "Machoke," They hung their heads.

"We're really sorry; we thought there was a fire going." Angelina apologized, sweating anime style.

"We didn't think anyone was out here." Jeremy added hastily.

"…hmph!" The man suddenly looked up at them. A sharp look glinted in his eyes.

Angelina took a startled step backwards. "You, there!" He man pointed to her, "You have invaded my secret training grounds. Furthermore, you have completely ruined my breakfast!" "Machoke-machoke!" "Now, prepare to feel our righteous fury—" Suddenly, both the man's and Machoke's stomachs gave a hungry growls and they collapsed to the grass.

Angelina gave a relieved smile; as long as they were hungry, they couldn't attack. "….Hold on, I know who you are." she walked over to the man. "You're Bruno—from the Kanto Region."

"Yeah, you're one of the Kanto League's Elite Official." Jeremy added.

"Bruno?" Christina blinked, confused that she was left out.

"Owww…. I really wish you hadn't ruin my grill!" "Ma—choke!" Bruno and Machoke exclaimed, "Now, I won't be able to cook my food."

"Well….that's not entirely true." Angelina stepped up to him, "Let me make up for destroying your first meal by making another one."

"Sure, but how are you gonna' do it?" Bruno asked.

Angelina grinned, "I have an idea."

The smell of cooking fish drifted through the forest. In the middle of the clearing was a bunch of burning twigs like a campfire. Bruno, Christina, Jeremy, and Angelina sat around it just like a group of campers. With all of their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, they held sticks with fish on them over the flames. The only ones who weren't by the fire were Basil and Treecko. Instead, they basked in the sun to gain nourishment.

"Thanks a lot for letting us eat some of your fish, Bruno." Angelina bit into the hot fish, her stomach growling for more.

"Well, I did kinda' make a big deal out of the accident earlier. Besides, I can't let you go on with empty stomachs." Bruno told her.

Angelina's Pokemon ate in the same fashion as their trainer; fast and gleefully.

"Bruno, what are you doing in the Hoenn Region, anyway?" Jeremy asked. "I always thought Pokemon League office stayed in their hosting regions."

"Yeah, but I'm here on some special training. Even though I'm a league official, I'm still a trainer like you kids." Bruno told her, "I'm also here because of all the different Pokemon I want to catch and bring back to Kanto."

"That's cool," Christina said.

When they were done eating, Jeremy stomped out the flames of the cooking fire. The food wasn't as quite as filling, but it kept the hunger pains at by. Christina, Jeremy, and Angelina called their Pokemon back to their Pokeballs.

"Thanks a lot, Bruno." Angelina stood up.

"Where are you guys headed to?" Bruno asked.

"We're going to Mt. Chimney—" "—and then, to Lavaridge Town to earn my gym badge from the gym leader." Christina and Angelina stated.

"I'm trying to get to the famous Tomodachi Springs that are rumored to be near Lavaridge Town." Bruno told them.

Angelina looked out into the distance; we could see the rocky red of Mt. Chimney though the tons of trees. Yep, she definitely had a long way to go. However, she could also see a black smoke billowing into the air. Her eyebrow rose in question. She started to think about what happened earlier and decided not to jump to conclusions.

"Pika, chu," Angelina felt Chocolate crawl up to her shoulder, "…..must be another fish being over-cooked." she said to herself. But the others overheard and glanced out in the distance as well.

"…no, that's not someone cooking! Take a look up there." Bruno pointed up to the tops of the trees. Through the wild canopy of green, the kids and Pokemon could see flames sizzling on the tree heads. Black smoke billowed high into the air again.

"This time, it really is a fire!" Christina shouted.

The kids burst through the bushes and dashed down the trail. Dust kicked up behind them as they ran. The crackle and singe sound became louder as they entered a clearing that was a lot closer to Mt. Chimney. Parts of the trees fell to the ground in smoldering flames. All around the clearing were a bunch of small, camel-like Pokemon. They had lazy eyes and white snouts; their backs, which had small holes in them, were splashed with grren and their bellies were white.

"Hmmm…." Angelina pulled out her Pokedex and flipped it on.

'_**Numel, the Numb Pokemon. Numel live in caves or mountains with extremely hot temperatures. If the hole on its back is plugged, the magma in its body will cool and harden.'**_

"Lina, shut your Pokedex and help us out!" Christina yelled so loud that Angelina's hair swayed.

"Call your Water Pokemon to help out." Bruno told them. They nodded and reached for their Pokemon.

"Go, Spritz!" Angelina shouted and her Azumarill appeared from its Pokeball.

"I call Totodile and Slowpoke!" Christina let the two Pokeballs in her hands burst open and release her two water Pokemon.

"And I choose—" There was the sound of a bursting Pokeball from Jeremy's belt and Haunter (evolved during chapter 16) came bursting out.

"Haunter-aunter-aunter!" the ghost Pokemon laughed.

"Hey!" Jeremy grabbed it by is ghastly tail and pulled it down to his face level. "What're you doing out here?"

Haunter shrugged it arms as if it didn't know.

"Use Water Gun attack!" Angelina and Christina exclaimed together.

Totodile, Slowpoke, and Spritz spat out a blast of water at the roaring flames.

Some of the excess water dripped into the dirt to form mud, giving Jeremy an idea. "Haunter, grab that mud and toss it to the flames."

"Haunter," the ghost Pokemon nodded and traveled in front of the water Pokemon; it scooped up a wad of mud and flung it at the flames.

The sun had shifted towards its afternoon shift. The once black smoke was now replaced with white steam. The trees were pretty burned, but marked only a little spot in the entire forest.

The Numel glanced shamefully at the ground, not able to face the kids and one adult. Christina walked over to one of the Numel with her hands on her hips; her hand swatted its head with a "come-to-sense" slap. "Do you realize the damage you could've done? You are lucky innocent Pokemon weren't hurt—"

"Chill out, Tina." Angelina knelt down and put her hand on Christina's shoulder. She was pretty sure there was a good reason behind the Numel attacking and was prepared to find it out by tapping the power of the Crystal Bell. Her strive to understand her role as an Origin Waker would take another step up the ladder of her destiny. She gave it a prod with her finger and it started to glow slightly. "Ah….." Her eyes widened slightly, _**'….I can will it, now…. at least, a little bit. That must mean I'm getting stronger.'**_ she thought to herself.

With that vote of confidence, Angelina cleared her throat, "Er, hi….I'm Angel!" she grinned. All at once, the Numel looked up at her. It was as if they could understand her.

Angelina smiled and continued to talk. To her, it sounded just like human talk, but it was a whole different story for her friends. They blinked at her skeptically as her words sounded like "Numel" being repeated and broken up.

"….What's she doing?" Bruno asked.

"She's…" "Talking, I guess," Christina and Jeremy answered her.

"She can talk to Pokemon?" "…. I don't know." Christina told Bruno.

Chocolate crawled into her trainer's shoulder to get into the conversation. After a little while, Angelina stood up and turned towards her friends, "Okay, here's the deal: These Numel used to live in Mt. Chimney in one of the cave sections. Their leader was their evolved form, Camerupt, and a peach-maker of their land." Angelina held up a finger,

"But somehow, he became vicious and started attacking his own people. To make matters worst, something has been causing the mountain to tremble and seal off the homes of some rock Pokemon. In order to survive, they kicked the Numel out and took over their home with Camerupt still in it. The Numel were setting fire to the forest because they were trying to signal for help. Am I right?" Angelina glanced back at the Numel and they nodded. Just by the look on her face, Christina and Jeremy could tell she was going to try to help. So instead of going through the argument, the decided to agree ahead of time.

The Numel led the way through Mt. Chimney. Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, Bruno, and their Pokemon followed silently. The heat caused the air to be a little thinner than outside. Nevertheless, the cave was still a wonder to them. They could see specks of evolution stones sparkle form inside the walls like jewels. They could feel the pulls of hunger attacking them again, but knew that another benefit to helping the Numel was to get to the Chimney Shack faster.

The Numel lead them down twists and turns, till they stopped at a spot where a bit of light came from the side wall. Angelina was the first to glance in, followed by her friends. Beyond the natural threshold lay a very vast and rocky room. Cliffs and dips gave the room a weir sort of formation.

All around the cliffs were a bunch of sleeping Geodude and another breed of rock Pokemon. These Pokemon were like rugged boulders with four arms and nasty grins on their faces.

"Graveler," Bruno whispered.

In the middle of the room was a camel Pokemon larger than Numel. Its fur was red like magma except for its white snout ant three blue rings on its sides. The humps on its back looked like tow rocky volcanoes ready to explode. Its hooves were black as coal and its feather-tuft of hair swayed slightly. This Pokemon was obviously Camerupt.

Suddenly, the entire area started to rumble like crazy. Angelina held onto the side of the threshold to keep herself from falling. Bruno held onto Christina and Jeremy and the Pokemon held onto the humans. The rumbling caused rocks from above into the room to come crashing down in a crumbling mess. The loudness caused the cave-dwelling Pokemon to stir wildly, waking up very irritably. Camerupt was also furious form its disturbed sleep that it hurled spurts of flames form its back.

"W-w-w-w-what's going on?" Christina's voce trembled.

"I don't know." Jeremy cried.

"Whatever it is, this must be what caused the Geodude and Graveler to invade Numels's home!" Bruno exclaimed.

Angelina tired to push her bangs form her face, but they fell right back in the process.

"Angelina, watch out!!" there was a quick rush of wind and Angelina felt her shirt jerk up; Bruno was now carrying her, Christina, and Jeremy! Chocolate held on tight to her trainer as Bruno and Machoke burst through the threshold in a might jump.

Angelina looked back to see a rather large boulder go into a crash-and-crumble where they once stood. "Whoaa…" she breathed.

Bruno and Machoke landed onto the rocky ground with a firm plop. Christina and Jeremy were still a bit shaken from the jump and didn't fully stand up when Bruno set them down. Angelina looked forward. At that, she and Chocolate tensed up. Bruno and Machoke clenched their teeth and fists.

"What's everybody looking at?" Jeremy blinked.

"I don't know." Christina replied, just as confused.

However, as soon as they glanced forward, they clenched their teeth in fear. The group of Geodude and Graveler were inching towards them, all sporting aggressive expressions. Camerupt marched behind them with its eyes glowing an evil red. The Pokemon inched forward, hinting danger in the air around them.

Angelina gave a frightened gulp and another step back. The growling of the Geodude, Graveler, and Camerupt intimidated her a bit. Angelina clenched her fists and gave a quivering frown. Her job as an Origin Waker came first before fear. "Hey, Christina, are you up for a Pokemon battle?" she glanced back and Christina grinned.

"You know it."

Both of them reached to their belts and retrieved a Pokeball. "Camerupt, we challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" They said together.

"Caaaaaaam!!" Camerupt let out its battle cry and Geodude and Graveler echoed it.

Angelina and Jeremy tossed the Pokeballs to the ground and they burst open, revealing Basil and Charmander.

"Bay-ee! Bay-eee!" Basil stretched her legs, happy to be out of her Pokeball.

Charmander, who looked a little drowsy, shook itself awake and scratched its head under its nightcap. "Char…" It swished its tail, but didn't get up.

"Camaaaa!" Camerupt cried and the rock Pokemon dashed forward.

"We'll handle Geodude and Graveler; you take care of Camerupt." Angelina suggested and Christina nodded.

Bayleef read her trainer's mind as they both dashed off to the side. Just as they planned, the group of Geodude and Graveler followed them. With its partners straying away, Christina and Charmander could battle Camerupt without interference. Angelina and Bayleef slid to a stop to face their opponents.

"Bay!" _**BANG!!**_ Bayleef tackled her trainer affectionately with a sharp bite to the arm to show that she was ready to fight. By now, Angelina was use to it and combined her wince with a grin. "Let's do this." Stroked her head and let her step forward.

"Geoooodude!" A few Geodude launched their bodies forward in a flying tackle.

"Okay, Basil, use Razor Leaf attack!" Angelina exclaimed.

"Bay-bay!" Basil spun her head leaf and launched a fury of razor-sharp leaves spiraling at them.

"Duu-u-ude!" A crashing sound echoed as the Geodude crashed to the ground in pain.

"Angelina, above you!" Jeremy pointed above Basil. Angelina and her Pokemon glanced up to see that tons of Graveler raining down towards them.

"It's a Rock Throw attack!" Angelina exclaimed; both she and Basil dashed to the side and up a rocky ramp to a higher level. There were loud crashing sounds as the Graveler crashed onto the ground. "Good job, Basil. Now, try a Vine Whip attack!"

"Bay-ee!" Basil jumped into the air, letting loose a duo of green vines form her leaf necklace. The two vines shot through the air, delivering harsh smacks to each of the Graveler like two whips.

"Graveler!" "Graa!" "Velerrr!" They growled. Their eyes glinted and they rammed Bayleef in a sharp, quick tackle.

"Baayyy!" Basil cried.

"Ack!" Angelina fell to one knee, hugging her arms. "Basil, are you okay?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Bay," Basil nodded, stepping back up on all fours.

"Geooo!" The Geodude tried to rush another tackle.

"Basil, Absorb!"

"Baaay!" The leaves around Basil's neck glowed a shimmering yellow in color; all of the Geodudes' bodies did the same and started to become drained of their energy. While Basil became stronger, they became weaker. By the time they reached their target, they were too weak to even bump into her.

"Good job, Basil!" Angelina shouted and Basil wagged her tiny tail.

"Graveler—" "Graveler—" "Graveler—" Graveler!" Each of the Graveler rolled over in different spots. While one stepped in front of Basil, the other took the opposite side. It took a little while for Angelina to see that they were forming a circle around her.

"Basil—it's a trap! Defend with your Effect Spore ability!" Angelina said, flailing for directions to give. In a frantic notion, Basil closed her eyes and let a blue powder drift into the air around her.

Angelina was too high up to worry about getting hit with it. The Graveler, however, got it full blast in the face and became drowsy. Their eyelids dropped, soon followed by their bodies.

"Whew!" Angelina let out a relieved breath. Then, she jumped down and started for her Pokemon. "Great work, Basil."

"Bay!" _**BANG!!**_ Basil tackled Angelina down, slobbering her face with tons of Poke-kisses.

"Okay, okay—stop!" Angelina giggled.

_**WHOOOOSH!**_ Charmander jumped over a powerful stream of fire that burst from Camerupt's throat.

"Good job, Charmander." Christina complimented, "Now give that Camerupt a Torch-Tail attack!"

"Charman!" Charmander rushed across the rocky ground towards Camerupt; as it jumped into the air, a few pebbles were kicked up. "Charrr-mander!" With a spin, it brought the tip of its tail across Camerupt's face.

"Meruuupt!" Camerupt staggered.

Charmander landed in perfect form, folding its arms.

Camerupt's eyes narrowed; the fur on its body started to sway form its wind of energy.

"Camerrrrupt!" It stomped its front hooves on the ground, releasing a quaking wave of power.

"Whoa!" Everyone including the Numel beside the threshold, fell to the ground.

"That was a Magnitude attack!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"Meruuuupt!" Camerupt let out a cry and started charging forward.

"Charmander, dodge and scratch!" Christina exclaimed.

Charmander dashed forward in a powerful rush; it then pulled to the side and swiped Camerupt's side with its sharp claws.

"ruuuu!" Camerupt slid to a painful halt. With a dangerous glint, it remained angry for a while. Then, it closed its eyes to let its body relax. "Cameruuu—upt!" Suddenly, Camerupt's eyes opened in a flash.

The cave room started to rumble as if another quake had been released. This one, however, was much more powerful.

"An Earthquake attack!" Bruno exclaimed, starting to sweat. Rocks from above started dropping to the ground all around them harshly.

One fell directly in front of Angelina and Basil jumped off of her. The Numel above were in so much confusion that they all took a tumble down into the room.

Angelina, Bayleef, and Toya stood by their friends, swatting, swinging, and squirting at the boulders falling at them. The Numel huddled by Bruno and Chocolate sought refuge by Charmander.

Camerupt came rushing towards Angelina. Its eyes were glowing an evil red. Angelina started to sweat, too frozen in place to move.

"Oh-no!" "Angelina!" "Get outta' the way!" Her friends shouted, but she couldn't make a move. All she could do was gawk at her attacker.

"Numellll!" "Huh?" There was a burst of sizzling-hot flames that fired from our Angelina's head; the Numel directed the Flamethrower attacks to their berserked leader and tripped it up.

"Cameruuuu!" _**BANG!**_ It crashed harshly onto the ground.

"….I've got it!" Angelina snapped her fingers, "Let's go, Chocolate! Flash!"

"Pika?" Chocolate glanced back at her in question.

"Yeah, a Flash attack." Angelina winked at her. It took a little bit for Chocolate to understand to understand, but once she did, she grinned back at her.

"Pikaaaa-chuuuuu!" Suddenly, Chocolate's body burst with a bright light. The illumination was so bright that Christina, Jeremy, Bruno, and Angelina had to cover their eyes.

Chocolate's luminous attack faded out and she sat on the floor with an innocent look. Angelina let her eyes open just in time to see Camerupt faint. Christina, Jeremy, and Bruno let their eyes open as well. With Camerupt down, they didn't have to worry about the Earthquake Attack any more.

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy stood before Bruno and Machoke in one of the vast corridor paths of Mt. Chimney. Chocolate sprawled her body on Angelina's shoulder and Basil stood beside her trainer. Camerupt and the Numel stood behind Bruno.

"The Earthquake that Camerupt caused actually did some good." Bruno told them, "It shook parts of the mountain loose for the Geodude and Graveler to live in. You guys did great in helping the Numel."

"Are you going to go to the Tomodachi Springs, Bruno?" Christina asked. "Nah, not just yet. I'm going to stay here to help get Camerupt and the Numel back on their feet." Then, Bruno held out his hand to Angelina, "Good luck on your Pokemon journey. May you and your friends be the best at whatever you do."

"….thanks, we will!" Angelina smiled and shook it.

As the friends walked away, they waved goodbye and Bruno and the Numel waved back.

"I can't wait to get to the Chimney Shack." "Bay-bay!" "Pika-chu!" Angelina smiled and her Pokemon agreed.

And so, our heroes head for new adventures, new surprises, and good food.

**§To Be Continued§**

Bruno from Kanto's Elite Four made an appearance. So yeah, thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon!


	26. Table For A Hundred

Hey, I'm back again! Here's the next chapter, I hope this will leave you hungry and satisfied. I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas, enjoy!

**Chapter 26: Table For A Hundred**

Previously, our heroes had saved a group of Numel. And when is Angelina going to get to the next gym?

"As soon as I get something to eat!" Angelina wailed at the narrator, clutching her stomach. She, Christina, and Jeremy trudged along the red pathway of Mt. Chimney, holding their stomachs.

Basil did her best to keep up with her trainer. Her eyes wandered along the ground and her head leaf drooped as her sensitive belly gave a rumble. "Bay…." She sighed.

Chocolate gave up on walking all together and traveled on her trainers' shoulder.

The group had been hoping that they would've run into that "famous" restaurant by now.

"Maybe that restaurant is famous for being hard to find." Jeremy suggested.

"I'd agree with that." Angelina said with absolutely no enthusiasm.

Since it was such a long way from the cave exit, they could either starve searching for the restaurant, or they could starve searching for a way out. Either way, the outcome didn't seem pretty good.

_**BLUBLUBLU!**_ Suddenly, everyone's stomach gave a loud rumble and they stopped in their tracks, sweating anime style.

"Oh-man; I need to fill my gut now!" Angelina exclaimed.

"Bay!" _**Pfthp!**_ Basil plopped to the ground. She let her head leaf droop fully and panted a little from her rumbling stomach.

"Basil! Are you okay?" Angelina knelt down to her Pokemon, giving her a look of concern.

"Bay-bay, bay-ee," Basil said.

"Don't worry about it." It wasn't really strange, but Basil still hadn't suspected it; Angelina drew her into her arms and positioned her securely so that her back was against her stomach (she'd be too heavy to carry otherwise). With a quick heave, she got to her feet and started forward. "Let's keep going." she said with a hint of determination.

Christina and Jeremy looked to each other, blinked, then followed. Basil had never known Angelina to carry her and it felt kind of awkward. Still, nonetheless, she let her body relax completely. Angelina held her closer to make sure she didn't fall.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

They continued to walk down the rocky corridor in hopes of finding something to eat. The Zubat slept peacefully over head. Not once were they stirred or awaken by the kids' footsteps.

"….huh?" Angelina looked up from the floor. Just a little ways away up ahead, a Japanese-style building sat against the rocky red walls. The green roof and red body structure caused it to blend in with the mountain surrounded. Angelina closed her eyes for a minute before opening them again. "It is real…. we made it! Hey, guys, look at that!" she said to her friends.

Christina, Jeremy, and the Pokemon looked up from the ground. Once they beheld the sight of the Chimney Shack, their tired expressions faded into looks of bliss. "It's the Chimney Shack!" "We're finally here!" "Pika-chu!" "Bay!" They all exclaimed.

"Then what're we standin' here for? I'm hungry now!" Angelina dashed forward without a second thought. Basil's head leaf went straight up and started to let out a sweet-smelling aroma to show Angelina her appreciation. Angelina smiled, but was too focused on getting to her stomach's aid to speak.

However, when the kids finally caught up to the building, they didn't expect to be greeted in such a way. The lights inside were all out, allowing the scarce bit of light flow in. No sound came from it as there were no people around. There was no closed sign on the door, so it wasn't safe to assume they closed for the day.

Angelina, Basil, and Chocolate didn't allow themselves to think like that.

"It…. sounds like nobody's home." Christina blinked.

"Maybe the chef or the restaurant owner is just napping."

"Or maybe the owner decided to skip out."

"JEREMY!" Christina and Angelina shouted and Jeremy sweated anime style.

"Okay, okay; bad time to joke."

"Well I don't think Basil and Chocolate can take it anymore. I'm going in!" Angelina marched up towards the door. Christina and Jeremy gave her a disbelieving look, sweating anime style.

"Basil and Chocolate?" Jeremy blinked.

"Isn't strange how she so conveniently left herself out that short little speech?" Christina added.

Angelina held Basil tightly with one arm and pushed the door open with her free hand. After a quick look inside, she motioned for her friends to follow.

Just as Jeremy had thought, the entire place was quiet and vacant. The tables and booths were decorated with a blue and white that looked like the sky. The tiles of the floor were painted elegantly to resemble the sun setting in the ocean. Elegant chandeliers hung all over the circling in colors of lonely gold and silver. On the northern wall of the vast room lay a long, sparkling counter. A menu was hung on the wall behind it next to a door with a porthole on it.

"Bay…." Basil looked around for signs of anyone who could be hiding.

"Hello?" Christina called. The restaurant answered back to her with its dead silence.

Angelina started to wander around. "Excuse me, sir or ma'am, but we'd like to place an order!" Still, silence remained. She wandered around the counter while her friends searched the booths. Everything looked so untouched, she even wondered if anyone had been inside at all.

"Pikachu, pika," Chocolate tapped Angelina and pointed to the door with another port hole.

"Good idea," Angelina nodded to her. She slowly pushed the door open and marveled at what she witnessed; never before had she seen a kitchen of such splendor. The walls were aligned with top-notch pots and pans. Every utensil had its own spot and was practically brand new. On one wall were tons of white and pink aprons. Just by looking at it, Angelina could tell that the kitchen was fully stocked with all sorts of ingredients.

"Awww…. if the owner isn't here, there's no one to cook for us." Christina folded her arms.

At the sound of that, everyone's stomach gave a disapproving lurch.

"…. Maybe not…." Angelina scratched her head.

"What do you mean?" Christina and Jeremy walked up to her and peered inside the kitchen.

Even Jeremy couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful kitchen before him. "Wow…." He marveled.

"This is a pretty heat setup…. fancy kitchen for a fancy restaurant." Christina stated.

A grin spread on Angelina's face as an idea formed in her head. "Right…. okay, then!" she thrust her free fist into the air. Without warning, she started to shove Christina and Jeremy away from the kitchen. "Okay, break it up; I can't work with people watching over my back. So what I want you to do is sit back and let me run this show."

"Hey, what're you doing?" "Quit shoving!" Angelina pushed them all the way into a booth and smiled at them. It would be a shame to let such a good kitchen go to waste. And besides, she and her friends wouldn't be able to go on without anything to eat. _**'I'll be able to test my cooking skills and have fun at the same time!'**_ she thought to herself. Still keeping her smile Angelina skipped off across the room and into the kitchen.

Angelina set Basil on the ground and started to massage her head.

Basil smiled blissfully with her tail wagging. "Baayyyy."

Angelina did the same with Chocolate, who smiled just as well before she set her down.

"Don't' worry, girls; you won't be hungry for too much longer. Do you want to help me cook?" she asked them.

"Bay!" "Pika!" the Pokemon responded eagerly.

"Then let's get all our friends to help." Angelina pulled the Pokeballs from her belt and let them drop to the ground; they burst open in a flash of light, revealing her Pokemon (Absol, Vulpix, and Azumarill).

Angelina grinned at them and started towards one of the walls. "Ready, everyone? Here-you-go!" There was a rustle of fabric as Angelina tossed a few pink aprons and two blue aprons in the air; as they came down, she caught the first pink one and smallest one an ties it about Chocolate to cover her from neck to stomach. One by one, she caught the aprons and put them on her other Pokemon (Basil and Spritz). The blue ones she slapped on Crimson and Shadow, then she placed on a white one for herself.

Angelina walked over to the sink and turned on the water. "Let's wash our paws and hands so we can cook a masterpiece."

"_**Yah!"**_ the Pokemon exclaimed and started to crowd around the sink to wash up.

"There's enough supplies in here for us to make a feast. I'll teach you how to make Datemaki, Yakisoba, and—for desert—Ohagi and Kuri Kinton. We could even make hamburgers and cookies for a cultural clash!" Angelina told them. To her surprise, her Pokemon didn't mind doing kitchen work. As a matter of fact, it seemed that her love for Culinary Arts rubbed off on them. She gave them a smile and stated, "Let the onslaught of food begin!"

Angelina gingerly washed the ingredients to their food in the sink. Spritz stood on the counter next to her, spraying the vegetables with a light version of her Water Gun attack. As the two continued to wash, they passed off the ingredients to the side counter.

Shadow stood over the carrots and cabbage with a grin. "….Sooooool!" he flashed his pin-sharp nails and swung through the air with mad speed. The vegetables for a few seconds before falling to tons of clean pieces. Proud of his first task, Shadow retrieved a Japanese sweet potato and twirled it on one paw. He ran the nails of his other paw across it to dice it just for the sake of showing off.

On the counter opposite of Shadow, Chocolate stood on the countertop. She rummaged through the cabinet above for the seasoning and sauces Angelina told her to retrieve. She separated the liquids from the powders and was sure to keep their order dish-oriented.

There were silent clattering noises as Basil and Crimson ducked into the floor cabinets. Crimson, who had traveled the farthest inside, would pass a pot to Basil. Basil would then use her Vine Whip attack to set it on the counter above.

As they continued to set up in the kitchen, Christina and Jeremy sat at the booth quietly.

Christina tinkered with her Poke-Nav while Jeremy just looked out the window.

"Christina…. if this place is so famous, why isn't anyone here?" he asked, "As a matter of fact, why isn't there anyone even walking out there?"

"I don't know. Maybe they know something that we don't." Christina said, without looking up.

Their stomachs gave a loud rumble and they suddenly hugged their guts, sweating anime style.

"I hope whatever Lina's doing, she does it fast." Christina let her head rest on the table.

"Maybe I could try and sneak something out of the kitchen." Jeremy suggested.

"Good luck getting past the hawk inside." Christina replied.

By now, more dramatic noises could be heard coming from the kitchen. As a matter of fact, they could hear rumbling and even crashing sounds behind the door. The clanging pots were loud enough to ring throughout the entire restaurant.

"Not like that—you have to mix it thoroughly…. no, Spritz—don't put the Konbu there." Angelina's voice sounded.

The kitchen had become a zone of confusion and disorder. Angelina was forced to chase

her Pokemon around and correct them at the same time.

"Spritz—wait; that's salt, not sugar—" _**SPWEE!**_ Spritz poured a little more than half the bowl of salt into the bowl of cookie dough.

"Sol-ab-sol!" Shadow's voice trembled as he fought for balance. In his paws was a bowl of Azuki beans teetering along with him.

"Hang on, Shadow!" Angelina dashed towards him from Spritz's counter; she dove to save him, but missed the bowl and allowed it to clatter down. Tons of Azuki beans went spilling all over the glimmering kitchen floor.

"….Absol," Shadow let out a disappointed sigh, sweating anime style.

"Well, at least it was the beans and not you." Angelina stated.

"Pikachu-Pikachu!" Chocolate exclaimed to Basil, who couldn't stop stuffing her face with chocolate chips. _**(Basil, if you keep eating the chocolate chips, there won't be any left for the cookies!)**_

_**(I can't help it; they taste soo good!)**_ Basil replied, continuing to gobble the entire bag.

_**(But you can get a stomach ache if you eat too many too fast.) **_

_**(You worry too much.)**_ Basil told Chocolate.

"Whaaaa!" _**"Huh?"**_ Everyone turned towards Angelina; the Pokemon watched their trainer slip and slide across the floors on the Azuki beans. Her feet fought for balance and traction, but couldn't find it in time. There was a rush of wind as she fell to the ground on her bottom. "Ooouch!" she winced. The bowl of rice that was in her hands soared across the air and spilled all over Chocolate's head.

"Pii!" the mouse Pokemon was forced to sit. The others stared at her for a moment, then burst into hysterical laughter. Spritz was laughing so hard that she beat the counter with her paw.

Chocolate grinned at the room full of laughers; she securely allowed the tip of her tail to slide underneath the spilled rice. She looked towards Shadow with a flame sparkling in her eyes. "……Pikaachuuuu!" Without warning, she lifted her tail to launch a shot of rice.

"_**Dah!"**_ Shadow ducked just in time, then he jumped onto the counter, reached into the bowl of cookie dough, and launched it back to the attacker. It didn't take long for an entire food fight to break out in the kitchen. Angelina couldn't even move; she just sat in the middle of the kitchen without much word or expression. Yakisoba sauce and cookie dough soared through the air. Carrot bits, cabbage, and chestnuts rang out across each other in every direction.

There was a loud smack as a Konbu smacked Basil in the face. "Bay-eee!" She used her Vine Whip to launch an array of eggs at her friends. Splats and smacks sounded as the air filled with red ginger and Japanese seaweed.

"Bay?" "Rill?" While the food fight raged behind them, they blinked at a small glass bottle on the counter. Inside was a clear liquid that was shaking a bit from the commotion. "….Azuma?" Spritz jumped up onto the counter and examined the bottle curiously. She prodded it once with her paw before prying the top off with her teeth. The two looked to each other and sniffed the bottle. _**"Eck!" **_They jumped back in revolt.

Suddenly, a wad of cookie dough smacked Spritz in the face. She retaliated with a Water Gun attack.

"Vulpix-vulpix!" Crimson, who had just attempted trying to cleanup, dragged a big white bag of flour with her teeth. While she pulled it towards the counter, she was unaware of the fact that both Chocolate and Shadow rushing towards her. "Pik—!" "Sol—!" "Vul!"

_**BANG!**_ There was a sudden uproar of white as the flour bag burst open.

Everyone came to a standstill; the entire kitchen became engulfed in a sea of white.

Everyone's entire form was covered from head to toe in pure flour. Angelina blinked so that her eyes were the only visible part of her body. She let them wander all around the snow-white kitchen area without saying a single word. Spritz, Basil, Crimson, Chocolate, and Shadow shook the flour off their bodies, though traces of it still remained on them. They gave her surprised look a shameful and sorry expression. The kitchen was a total mess and all they could only wait for was their trainer to explode. But instead, Angelina just reached up to her hair and pulled out some of the flour. "……heh!" she suddenly smirked. The sound alerted her Pokemon, catching them a little by surprise.

"…heh…heh—hahahaha! Ha-ha!" Angelina suddenly burst into laughter. All of her Pokemon blinked at each other in confusion. "Oh-wow; I completely forgot how much fun that was!" she exclaimed. It was kind of awkward, but her Pokemon joined in the laughter anyway. After all, it was fun to beat each other up with food.

"Now, let's clean this up and fill our stomachs, okay?" Angelina brushed the flour from her hair. With a happy yelp, her Pokemon dashed over to help dust the rest of her body off.

In no time, the kitchen was back to the way it was before its visitors came…. unless the used utensils and tools were counted. Bubbling and cutting noises could be heard from the kitchen, along with the temp-chef's humming the Pokemon theme song.

Angelina fried the Yakisoba noodles in a sizzling pan on the flattop stove. Chocolate spooned some rice into her paws and started to form them into rice balls. Basil kept a close eye on the rising cookies in the oven. Spritz was busy topping the hamburger and Shadow grounded up the chestnuts for the Kuri Kinton. Crimson didn't mind scrubbing the dishes as she enjoyed splashing around in the water.

It didn't take long for the smell of food to force its way thought the kitchen door. Christina and Jeremy were so hungry that they fell asleep right on the table.

"Hey, do you smell that?" Jeremy sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

Christina was the only one who was still sleeping. But even in her state of slumber, she could smell the vivid scents of food. "….Yakisoba…. hamburger.…" She mumbled with a slight drool.

"Christina, wake up; I can smell food." Jeremy shook her shoulder.

"Wha, okay!" Christina cried, waving her arms. She gave it a sniff and felt her stomach argue with her again. "It smells too good to wait any longer."

"Well, you won't have to wait any longer." A voice said from the kitchen. The door burst open and Chocolate stepped out first, balancing a tray of Ohagi on her head. She marched out, followed by Basil holding the Datemaki tray with her vines. Spritz held a large tray settled with bowls of Yakisoba. Shadow came out with the hamburgers and Crimson clenched the Kuri Kinton tray in her mouth. Angelina brought up the rear with a plate of cookies over her head.

As they marched through the restaurant, Christina and Jeremy drooled.

"So, how about it? Are you ready to eat?" Angelina asked them. There was a giant rumble from everyone's stomachs to answer her question. As soon as the trays touched the face of the table, the aprons were thrown and the bright lights were flipped on. Christina and Jeremy called their other Pokemon from their Pokeballs; everyone grabbed a plate and began stuffing their faces.

Angelina was so happy, she started to cry. She wasn't only happy for filling her gut, but for all the work her friends put into helping. "Thanks, guys; this is the best."

The food was so good that in a matter of minutes, the entire banquet had merely diminished to nothing. The only thing that did remain was one last bow of Yakisoba. Still, the smell of everything eaten drifted heavily in the air.

Angelina's stomach finally came to a rest, but didn't pudge like Chocolate's did. She just lay on her back, rubbing it gleefully. Everyone had eaten their fill and couldn't eat another bite…. at least, most of them, anyway. Delcatty was greedy enough to go dump the rest of the Yakisoba into that black hole she called a stomach.

"That was great!" Jeremy slouched in his chair. "I don't think that even the restaurant owner could do that good."

"Hey, we got a compliment." Angelina told her laid-out Pokemon and they smiled back.

Speaking of restaurant owners, a sorry thought crept into Angelina's head. She just used a bunch of the owner's supplies to fill her own gut and had no money to pay for such a large meal! To make matters worse, they could get arrested for entering without permission.

"I knew this was going to leave a bitter aftertaste…. and I guess our trip to Fallarbor Town will be delayed."

_**RIIGLIGG-GLING!**_ The bell hanging over the door jingled, indicating someone was entering. The kids looked up to see a woman with long amber-colored hair and blue eyes. She wore a pair of navy jeans and a black short-sleeved shirt. She blinked and looked around the restaurant. The three kids remained silent, but no less interested in what she wanted. The lady glanced to them and started to talk, "Excuse me, but do you know where the waiter is?" She asked, her voice echoing in the nearly empty building.

"Sorry; nobody's here but us." Christina said to her.

"But…." The lady sniffed the air and smiled, "Where's that yummy smell coming form? There must be a chef around here."

"Chefs, and we're right here." Angelina stood up with her Pokemon.

"You mean you seven are the cause of that delicious smell?"

"Yup!" Angelina nodded.

"Lina's a great cook." Christina added.

"Do you think…. you could make me something like the Yakisoba I smell?" The lady asked.

"But ma'am," Angelina started, sweating anime style, "We don't' work here—"

"I'll pay you." The lady stated. At the sound of money, Jeremy pushed Angelina away and jumped in front of the lady. "Sure, miss; she can fix whatever you want. Just have a seat and she'll be ready with your food." "But, Jeremy—" Angelina whispered, but Jeremy hissed silently, "Use the money to pay for our meal."

"Oh," Angelina stood up. She grabbed the aprons from the floor and headed towards the kitchen. "C'mon, let's get back in the kitchen." she said to her Pokemon and they followed her.

It didn't take too long for them to create a bowl of Yakisoba noodles at all. Angelina sent a hot bowl in front of the lady with her Pokemon watching eagerly to see if she linked it. The lady took her fork and plunged it into the noodles. Everyone started at her as she ate slowly to saver the taste. "….."

"Yeah?" Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy blinked.

"….Five Star!" The lady exclaimed and started shoveling the noodles into her mouth even faster.

Angelina and her Pokemon smiled at the compliment.

"For a bunch who doesn't work here, you should decide to make this a profession. What's your name, kid?"

"Angelina Murakami, ma'am." she told her.

"(Gulp) Murakami, eh? You're the Kanto Region's League Champion, right?" The lady asked.

"Yeah, I am." Angelina replied.

_**RINGLING-GLING!**_ There was another jingling form the door as another pair of people walked in.

"This is going to be a long day." Angelina stated.

Soon, the entire restaurant was filled with a busy hustle and bustle of people. The smell of food was now heavier than ever. People and their Pokemon were chatting loudly and scarfing down the food in front of them. It was so busy that even Christina and Jeremy had to help. They and their Pokemon took peoples' orders and delivered them, which was pretty hectic for two kids to do by themselves. But their jobs were nothing compared to Angelina and her five Pokemon. They were all assigned to a specific dish that they had to do fast and still have it taste extraordinary. It was hectic, but still kind of fun.

"Pick up, Mitso soup!" Angelina put a bowl of soup on the counter and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, an all-too-familiar duo dressed in white uniforms with a Meowth trudged along the red rocky path of Mt. Chimney. They held their stomachs in hopes to stop the growling.

"I'm starving!" Meowth complained.

"If we don't find somewhere to eat, I'm gonna' collapse!" James agreed.

"It wouldn't help us much if we did find place to eat, we wouldn't be able to pay for it." Jessie sighed.

Their stomachs let out a loud and begging rumble. Their legs felt like jelly and they felt they could've dropped right where they stood.

"…huh?" Jessie took a quick sniff of the air. A look of bliss spread on her face once she realized what it was. "I smell some beef stew and cheeseburgers!" She exclaimed.

"You do?" James and Meowth sniffed the air as well. In a matter of seconds, the same expression over-took them.

"Hey, me too!" James stated.

"And its coming from up dere." Meowth pointed, the trio averted their attention to the Chimney Shack in the distance. Just by looking, they could tell it was crowded.

This gave Jessie a sneaky idea. "Hey, James—"

"Yeah, I know; we order the food, eat it, then skip off without paying the bill." James finished for her.

"Great minds think alike." Jessie smiled and winked.

With that, they dashed towards the restaurant. They pushed open the doors and stepped in; the three were immediately greeted by a rush of food smells that caused their stomachs to growl even louder. It was so crowded, they could easily sneak out—even in their Team Rocket uniforms.

"Hi, welcome to the Chimney Sha—dah!" "Dah!" The three suddenly gave a gasp as Christina stood before them. They stared at each other with disapproving expressions.

"Christina, I need your help—YOU!" As soon as Jeremy saw Team Rocket, his reaction was the same as Christina's.

"What made you twerps come out here?" Jessie asked with a frown.

"We'll go anywhere when you stop following us!" Jeremy exclaimed. "So quit trying to start fights and go somewhere."

"What's going on out there?" Angelina burst out of the kitchen with Chocolate resting on her shoulder. Even though they had been cooking the entire time, their aprons remained unsoiled. Angelina looked from her friends to Team Rocket with a curious air. "….so, what's the problem?"

_**BANG!!**_ Christina and Jeremy fell to the ground, sweating anime style.

"Angel, that's Team Rocket!" Jeremy started.

"Yeah, so? Everyone's entitled to eat."

"You mean—" "—you'll let us eat without any trouble?" Jessie and James blinked at her. Angelina nodded to them.

"Wow, dat's a first!" Meowth grinned. "Tanks, sweetcheeks!"

"Sure," Angelina smiled. "And then, you can help us out—we could really use it." With that, she turned around and started back towards the kitchen.

Jessie and James let out a duo of burps. Their table was piled with the empty plates of their meal.

"I have'ta admit; sweetcheeks can really cook!" Meowth slouched in his chair.

"That was one of the best meals I have ever eaten!" James exclaimed.

Seviper and Cacnea gave a pleased smile.

"So, did you like it?" Angelina walked up to them with a smile. Chocolate, however, was still looking kind of bitter.

"Oh, yeah—it was amazing!" Team Rocket smiled back in response.

"Good, then you can help Christina and Jeremy out."

Then, the two Rockets stood up from the table. Their sweet smiles turned into competitive grins. Christina and Jeremy had moved to the kitchen to separate them from Team Rocket (she left them some very specific instructions to follow). Filling for them instead were Angelina's Pokemon. They eyed Team Rocket suspiciously, predicting their next move.

"Sorry, Angel dear, but Team Rocket doesn't pay anything." James said.

"But we will help ourselves to your Pikachu," Jessie added. "Go, Seviper!"

"Viper!" Seviper jumped from the table and in front of his trainer. He hissed, ready to fight.

"Are you ready, Cacnea?" James asked.

"Cac!" the cactus Pokemon nodded.

Angelina sighed. "I knew this was a little too good to be true…. well, I guess there's only

one thing to do. And that's—" There was the sudden sound of rushing fabric; Angelina's apron went flying into the air and landed neatly in an empty chair.

Immediately, everyone averted their gazes form their meals to the potential fight building. To them, it was like some form of entertainment while they ate. Even Christina and Jeremy poked their head out form the kitchen. Some of the people were so eager for entertainment that they moved the tables around the trainer's aside.

"Grrrr…. this is not a show—this is serious!" Angelina shouted, sweating anime style.

Then, in a matter of seconds, her face went serious. "I choose Basil and Spritz!" she exclaimed. At the sound of their names, Basil and Spritz hurled their aprons into the air; they jumped forward in front of their trainer, ready to fight.

"Then let's start this. Seviper, use Bite!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Se-viper!" And like lightning, Seviper dashed forward with its mouth open and fangs out for the opening damage.

"Baaay!" Basil staggered backwards a bit.

"Sorry abut that, Basil." Angelina apologized for her reaction time and Basil nodded to her. "Cool, now use Vine Whip attack!" she exclaimed.

"Bay-ee!" Two green vines shot from the leaf necklace around Basil's neck. They flashed forward in a series of smacking sounds that repeatedly stung Seviper's body.

"I'll show you! Cacnea, use Pin Missile attack!" James shouted and Cacnea jumped high into the air.

"Cacnea-cac!" It pointed its fists forward and blasted a thousand of tiny needles. As soon as they touched the ground, there was a small "KABOOM!" that shook the tables.

Spritz and Basil dashed off to opposite sides to greater their chances of being missed.

"Aw, geeze!" Angelina smacked her forehead, sweating anime style, "I know who's gonna' have to clean that up later." she mumbled. Then she rose up her fist and spoke in a clearer voice, "Spritz, it's time for the Dynamic Punch!"

"Azuu—" Spritz jumped toward Seviper; she drew back her clenched paw and it started to glow.

There was no way Seviper could've dodged or blocked in a matter of seconds. There was a mild explosion and Seviper was forced to the floor harshly.

"Ha! Top that, Jessie!" Angelina exclaimed and Jessie growled.

"Cacnea!" From out of nowhere, Cacnea dropped in front of Basil. "Cac!" It sprinted to the right.

"Bay?" Bayleef blinked before glancing off in that direction. A sinister glint and grin spread on Cacnea's face; it's cactus-like arms were swinging around. By the time Bayleef noticed, she got a nice punch in the side. "Baaaay!" She winced greatly.

"That must be Cacnea's Faint Attack," Angelina growled. "Hey, Basil, are you up to a Sweet Scent?"

"Bay-ee!" Basil forced herself to stand up straight. She allowed the leaf on her head to stand up tall as well, making it rattle. As it vibrated, a pink-colored dust emitted from it and drifted all around the room. The sweetest caused everyone to give a delightful expression. That is, all except for Angelina, Basil, and Spritz.

"Good job, Basil. Now, Spritz, use Tackle."

"Rill-Azuu!" Spritz raced forward, heaving her power into a tackle. She slammed her body into Cacnea, who toppled over Seviper like a domino.

"Awwww! This never ends in a victory!" James growled.

"It does end in a victory—for us!" Angelina exclaimed, pointing forward, "Spritz, Chocolate; send them far away!"

"Azu-marillll!" "Pikaaa-chuuuu!" Spritz and Chocolate jumped into the air, ridding themselves of their aprons; Spritz spat out a jet-stream of water and a duo of lightning bolts raced from Chocolate's cheeks. The two attacks joined together to become a sparking hydro shot.

"Whhhaaa!" _**KABOOOOM!**_ There was a smoky explosion and Team Rocket went fling down the tunnel. "Looks Like Team Rocket's Blasting Off Again!" Their voices trailed off.

"Hmph!" Angelina folded her arms and grinned. She knelt down so that her Pokemon could run over and get their heads massaged, "Good job, everyone. You've done great today." she told them and they smiled at the compliment.

"Yaaahhh!" Suddenly, the entire restaurant went into a frenzy of clasps and cheers.

Compliments like, "She can cook and battle!" flew through the air at her. And with each clap, Angelina felt prouder and prouder—even though she told them it was serious (sweats anime style)!

"Good job, Angelina, though I should be mad because you left me out." Jeremy and Christina walked up to her.

When the other's clapping quieted, one more person broke the silence with her clapping.

"Hey, it's the lady form before." Jeremy stated as he looked at the first customer they served. This time, there was a small white bag around her shoulder.

"Wow, I'm truly impressed with you, Angelina. The way you and your Pokemon work together shows you are really close to each other." the lady said.

"Uh…thanks," Angelina blinked, holding Chocolarte in her arms.

"Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Rony, the owner of this restaurant."

"What!?" "Dah!" Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and their Pokemon gasped.

"You've done exceptional—all of you. You repaid eating here by giving me more business in an hour that I could get in a day." Rony smiled, "You should consider working here."

"We'd love to, but we're kinda' on a journey." Christina told her.

"Are you sure? You seem to be a cut above my other chefs." Rony insisted, but Angelina shook her head. It just wasn't like her to stay in one spot for too long.

"Well, at least let me give you something for your trouble." Rony glanced down at Angelina's feet. "….and I know exactly what to give you." She reached into her bag and rummaged through its contents.

Chocolate clambered up to Angelina's shoulder to get a better look.

Rony gave an "Aha!" and pulled out a pair of brand new shoes. They were black with silver markings and at the bottom, from the soul to the heal, was an extremely dark blue. On the side of the heal was a black rubber button, which posed something strange for a shoe. "These would match your outfit a lot better than the ones you have on, Angelina." She handed Angelina the new-looking shoes. They even smelled brand new.

"Gee, thanks, Ms. Rony." Angelina smiled in gratitude.

Rony held up a finger, "These aren't just an ordinary pair of shoes. These are the newest footwear to hit the Devon Company market. They're called the Blade Adaptors, a pair of shoes that can transform into a pair of roller blades." She reached forward and pushed one of the shoe's black buttons. From the bottom of the shoe, four in-line guarded wheels jutted with a clicking sound.

"Cool!" Jeremy exclaimed. "You see, I was going to give these to my daughter, but they're too big for her. But your feet look big enough to fit." Rony explained to Angelina. She beamed at her to show her gratitude.

"Goodbye!" Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy stood on the rocky trail of Mt. Chimney.

They and their Pokemon waved to Rony at the entrance of the Chimney Shack, who was now wearing a pink apron.

Angelina didn't waste any time in putting on her cool new shoes. "Take care of yourself, Ms. Rony!" "Pika-Pika!" "Bay!" she, Chocolate, and Basil waved to her.

"And you, too. Take care of yourselves and good luck!" Rony shouted back.

With that, the friends turned away and started down the pathway once again. Today, we dove into Angelina's ability to cook more deeply. Who knows; if she doesn't make it as a Pokemon Master, she could become a famous chef.

**§To Be Continued§**

This was a fun chapter to plan out! Also thought it'd be funny for Team Rocket to make their appearance without Ash's gang. Okay, thanks for reading! Next chapter up soon!


	27. Crimson's Goodbye

Thanks for the review! So here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 27: Crimson's Goodbye**

The sunlight was so beautiful—they were finally out of Mt. Chimney! It felt so nice to see the cloud-specked blue sky again. Fresh air whipped all around, feeling much better than the humid tunnel. With green trees and fluttering Pokemon overhead, the outside was being much more appreciated now. Beside Mt. Chimney was a lush green forest built around d a small lake that could be visible from above by a circular clearing. This allowed sunlight to spew in and make it the brightest part of the forest. Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy were the only humans who chose the banks of the lake as a rest stop.

The last time we left our heroes, they had helped out Rony of the famous Chimney shack. With some new shoes on her feet, I doubt Angelina will forget that experience. Now, what new surprises will there be?

The three kids set their backpacks against the nearby tree as they took a small break. Lavaridge Town was decided as their next stop and they weren't that far. Because of this, Jeremy suggested another rest stop.

Christina sat against a tree, reading a book titled Coordinators one-o-one. She was seriously drawn into the book, flipping page after page without saying a single word. Jeremy decided to do something more constructive with his time; he hung up the clothes he just washed on a line he strung between two trees.

Chocolate was placed in a small silver bowl filled with sudsy water. Soap bubbles were dripping from her head and back. Angelina hummed the theme song to "Pokemon" while she gave her Pokemon a ginger scrub down. To Chocolate, it was like getting a massage; her body was totally relaxed.

"Huu," Jeremy let out a short sigh and wiped his forehead with the back of his fist. He looked out into the sky above, watching the tops of Mt. Chimney puff tons of gray smoke out. The ashes that fell from the smoke looked like darkened snowflakes.

"Check it out, Angel; the ashes look like snowflakes." Jeremy stated, pointing to Mt. Chimney.

"It's a good thing they're not real snowflakes." Angelina stated, messaging Chocolate's back. The mouse Pokemon became so relaxed that she fell face-first into the water. "Hey! Don't go to sleep!" Angelina wiped the suds from her face. She rinsed Chocolate off with a small cup, then wrapped her in a towel.

"It's a bit quiet around here." Jeremy said.

"Yeah, just like a library. Let's stay here for a few minutes."

"Are you sure? Lavaridge Town isn't' that far away." Jeremy told Christina, who finally looked up from her book.

"Well…—"

"YAAIIIEEEEEAAAHH!" A sudden combination between a scream and a shriek shattered the silence severely. The trees shook with the rapid scurrying of various Pokemon. Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate swiftly averted their attention to the distance. They could see tons of forest-dwelling Pokemon scampering maniacally. Their movements sent ripples through the sparkling water.

And then, they saw her; she looked about middle-aged and ran very fast for being kind of plump. She had long brown hair and green eyes to match. She was wearing a blue apron over her red shirt and blue short-sleeved shirt. She panted lightly as she bound down the grassy trail.

"Don't tell me that's where the sound came from." Jeremy blinked skeptically.

"Well, we've seen stranger." Christina stated.

"Hey, you kids, ruuuuun! The Beedrill are coming!" And like that, the lady zoomed by them in a flash of panic.

Christina, Angelina, and Jeremy blinked in her direction first, then at each other. "….the Beedrill?"

"What's is she talking about?" Angelina and Christina blinked.

Jeremy turned to try and call at the lady, but a strange sound caught his ears. Chocolate's ears twitched and caused her to perk up; she crawled out of the towel and onto Angelina's shoulder to glance in the direction the lady had run from.

"Can you guys hear that?" Jeremy turned in the same direction Angelina and Christina perked their ears so that they could better collect the sounds around them. It was faint at first, but they could hear a faint buzzing sound—the beating of bug wings. The longer they listened, the closer and louder the sound became.

"Pika!" Chocolate quivered, sweating in fear.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

Rushing up from the distance were a group of giant bee-like Pokemon. Their bodies were light yellow with dark purple stripes on their abdomens. Their eyes were a leering crimson and as lethal-looking as the two white stingers on their forelegs and behind.

"Yaaieeeee!!!" The kids screamed, but with much less power than the lady who passed by.

"Hey, miss, wait for us!" Angelina exclaimed as they sprinted in the opposite direction.

They didn't even bother to grab their stuff.

"BZZZZZZ-ZZZZ!" The Beedrill buzzed loudly in their following suit.

"Did I neglect to mention the Beedrill that inhabit this area?!" Christina panted.

"You mean you knew, even when we were all standing there looking stupid?!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"I didn't want to freak you out!"

"It didn't work!" Angelina stated to Christina. Chocolate gripped onto Angelina's shoulder.

It wasn't long before the caught up with the lady. The Beedrill were buzzing closer and closer angrily. Angelina reached into her pocket and pulled out her Pokedex. Yes, even in the midst of danger, she was still trying to lean.

'_**Beedrill, the noodle Pokemon. These bug Pokemon are very aggressive and attack anything that enters their territory. When attacking their prey, Beedrill use their needle-like legs to weaken it and their abdominal stinger to inject a powerful poison.'**_

"Poison?!" Angelina sweated anime style.

"Beeeedrill!" _**PING!**_ "Yieeee!" One of the Beedrill's stingers barely grazed Angelina's bottom, but that was enough to get her to run faster.

They turned the corner sharply with their pursuers creating the same feat.

"E…. Excuse me, but…. aren't you kids….Pokemon trainers?" The lady panted to them.

"Yeah," The three replied.

"Well, do ya' mind if you call…. any of them?"

"Oh, right," Angelina and Christina reached to their belts and withdrew a Pokeball.

"Crimson," "Charmander," (together) "I choose you!" They tossed them forward, revealing their Pokemon in a burst.

"Vulll!" "Char!" They dashed alongside their trainers.

"Huh?" The lady glanced at Vulpix. The expression on her face was somewhat shocked with an air of question. Vulpix didn't speak, but rather looked at her back with a blank expression.

"Use Flamethrower!" Angelina and Jeremy exclaimed in unison.

Vulpix jumped up onto Angelina's head, facing Beedrill; Charmander did the same with Christina. Both Pokemon opened their mouths to spurt a duo blast of flames.

"Beeezzzzezz!" The Beedrill scattered wildly in desperate attempt to avoid being scorched. However, once the danger passed, they regrouped back in their formation of pursuit.

"Don't they ever give up?" Jeremy growled.

"Beedrill around these parts are really aggressive; once they find their target, they won't quit chasing it." The lady said, sweating, "If you follow me, I can show you a short cut to ditch 'em."

"Okay," The kids nodded.

The lady picked up the pace to gain the lead again; she took a sharp turn to the left with the kids in hot pursuit. The leaves swayed from the wind of the chase scene. When the lady zigged, so did Angelina and her friends. For once, Christina wasn't the one lagging behind.

"Vuulll!" "Charrrr!" _**SPWWAAA!**_ Two bursts of flames sprayed form the fire Pokemon's mouths at the Beedrill; once more the Beedrill scattered like roaches from the light.

"This way!" There was a loud rustling sound from the lady as she submerged her body into an underbrush.

Angelina used her arms to cover her face and went in after her. More rustling sounds told her that her friends weren't too far behind her. She winced at some of the branches that caught her face. And if it was bad for her down there, it was surely rough for Chocolate and Crimson above.

Angelina could barely see, let alone keep up with the mysterious woman. Through the branches smacking her cheeks, she could still hear the Beedrill buzzing furiously behind them.

"Are you children okay back there?" The lady called back.

"I've—" (SMACK!) "—been in worse situations." Angelina answered, "How about everyone else?"

"Vul-vul!" "Pika-Pika!" Crimson and Chocolate clawed away any branch that got in their way, most of the time, successfully snapping them.

"We're fine back here." Jeremy told his friend.

"Just hang in there, kids—we're almost out of here." The woman exclaimed.

The Beedrill all let out poisonous hisses. Unlike their quarry, they had no problem cutting their way through the whipping shrubs with their pearly twin needles. Couldn't say much for their vision, though.

"Get ready; we're about to make a quick turn." The lady said without looking back to them. "And…..now!" With a sudden jerk, she jolted to the right. Just as she, Angelina performed the same, followed by Christina and Jeremy. The four emerged from the shrubs and hid behind two trees.

"Ssssh! Beedrill react to sound and moveme—" The lady forced her voice to come to an abrupt stop. She and Angelina stayed behind one tree while Christina and Jeremy hid behind its other. They all sweated as the Beedrill bussed noisily by. They didn't seem to notice their escaped quarry, for they continued to buzz through the bushes.

When the last buzz echoed into the distance, Angelina started to breathe once more. Crimson and Chocolate came to a calm rest on her shoulders.

"Whew!" The lady let out a sigh, "That was close." She glanced over to Angelina. Immediately, her eyes fell on Crimson, who was staring right at her. She delved into the Pokemon's beautiful grayish-jade eyes as if trying to find some sort of truth. They were both dead silent and motionless like statues.

"Uh…. ma'am?"

"Huh?" With a single blink, the lady snapped back to reality.

"Thanks a lot for saving us. My name is Angelina Murakami." Angelina held out her hand to her.

"Don't think too much of it; if I hadn't gotten 'em angry, they wouldn't have attacked like that. My name is Anna." The lady shook her hand, "And who are these two?"

"My name is Jeremy Cretonne." "And I'm Angel's sister, Christina." Jeremy and Christina stated.

"Nice to meet you, Miss, but what were you doing in this forest if you knew there were a bunchy of wild Beedrill hanging around?" Jeremy asked her.

"Well…." Anna patted a brown purse that Angelina hadn't noticed before. "This forest is full of berries as well as Beedrill. Take a look." She pointed forward. Up in the lush green leaves of the trees, three different kinds of berries prospered. One was sphere-shaped; yellow and spotted with green specks. In the trees next to that one, lied berries that almost looked exactly alike. The only difference was that these particular berries were bell-shaped and much more tender-looking. Angelina marveled at the trees in between. Their berries were the largest of all. It was dark red and looked almost chocolate-covered.

"Wow!" The kids and their Pokemon marveled together.

"….Oh-no!" Angelina let out a sudden gasp that made everyone else jump.

"What's wrong?" Christina asked.

"I forgot about all of our stuff—they're back at the camp!" Angelina exclaimed.

"Oh, right; we were so busy running from the Beedrill, we forgot all about getting our stuff." Christina stated.

Jeremy folded his arms, mumbling, "If they destroyed my laundry…."

"That's not a problem; I know these woods like the back of my own hand. I could have you back here in no time." Anna told them and took the lead as they walked on the light tan path leading away form the forest.

Now, they could see the lake in full and the vast area surrounding it. Also, they could see the structure of Mt. Chimney easier. Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy had gather their things and followed the lady. Chocolate rested her body on Angelina's shoulder.

Crimson, on the other hand, was full of energy and had quickly taken to the stranger. This was very strange because Angelina knew well that Crimson became distance to strangers.

The lady still gave the fox a strange look of familiarity.

Crimson jumped in front of her and started chasing after his own tails. Faster and faster he circled, making Anna find him even more irresistibly adorable. Crimson made snapping noises as he continually tried to grip his tails with his teeth. Angelina was amazed at how he could do that and continue to travel down the trail. _**DA-BUMP!**_

"Oh!" There was an abrupt thud when Crimson fell to the ground. "Ah!" For some strange reason, Anna's eyes trembled emotionally.

"Are you okay, Crimson?" Angelina picked Crimson up gingerly and massaged his back.

"That fall…. I know you!" Anna suddenly exclaimed at Crimson, "You're Yoko—the Vulpix I lost!"

"Huh?!" Angelina's breath caught in her throat, causing her to cough.

Christina and Jeremy gave the lady a skeptical and shocked looks. Even Chocolate stood with her mouth agape.

But Crimson gave a happy smile with his tails wagging. "Vulpix!" he yelped.

"I don't think I understand." Angelina blinked.

"But it seems that Vulpix understands perfectly." Christina stated.

"I'm so sorry, Angelina. Please allow me to explain everything." Anna said.

_**(Flashback starts) **_

_**Anna was walking through a familiar-looking forest, humming lightly. At her feet was a Vulpix skipping and spinning just like Angelina's had done earlier. **_

"I was walking through Petalburg woods with my Vulpix, when a Poochyenna spooked her."

_**The bushes beside them started to rustle. Loose leaves drifted onto the grass lightly form the movement. "Howwwl!" Suddenly, a Poochyenna darted from the bushes and darted across the path. **_

"_**Vull-vul-vul!" Vulpix jumped and scurried across the grass in the opposite direction. **_

"_**Yoko—wait!" Anna cried, picking up chase after her. **_

"I tried to follow her…."

_**Suddenly, a group of Shroomish jumped from under a pile of dead leaves near the tree bases. Anna slid to a startled stop. **_

"_**Shroo—" The mushroom Pokemon glared at her dangerously. Without warning, they dispelled a sparking blue powder from their pistils into the air. **_

_**One whiff caused Anna's eyelids to become heavy. She could feel her body start to rock, becoming more relaxed with each movement. She gave a yawn and plopped to the grass in a loud snore. **_

"Some Shroomish knocked me out and I didn't wake up till it was night."

_**(Flashback ends) **_

"I tried calling for her, but she never came to her name. I haven't stopped looking for her ever since. Even when I go to pick the berries I use, I still try to call out my Yoko—which is why the Beedrill were chasing me." Anna explained.

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy all looked to Crimson.

"Come to think of it, it was weird how I met Crimson." Angelina stated, "I was in the Petalburg Woods as well when I found this Vulpix. I reeled him in form the water with my fishing rod."

Anna looked to Angelina and smiled. She walked back to start stroking Crimson on the head.

"Vull…." Crimson completely relaxed his body.

"You must have a really good heart, Angelina."

"You think so, Ms. Anna?" Angelina looked up at the lady.

"Yeah; Yoko doesn't take to strangers at all. But just by the look he gives you, I can tell he loves you a lot."

Jeremy and Christina chuckled as Angelina blushed.

Crimson jumped out of her arms and onto his trainer's shoulder to claim ownership.

"Vul!"

Off to the side of the trail was a small house that was red in color. The front door and roof were painted yellow along with the picket fence that extended from the house's sides. The back yard was full of various flowers and berry bushes that made it look colorful. Crimson perked up at the familiar sight around him.

Anna walked up to the front door and worked the lock open. "C'mon in, kids." She said to them.

Jeremy was the first to go in, followed by Christina, then Angelina. The inside of the house looked a lot bigger than the outside. The living room was decorated with dark yellow furniture, but the kitchen was white in color. On the counters were a bunch of different sized bottles. Each one was filled with a different colored liquid. Right next to them were a bunch of different berries, some diced and some in full.

"Wow; those are so pretty!" Christina marveled at the jars.

"Thank you; I make my own herbal medicines and perfumes. Since you've been through Petalburg Woods, I assume you've been to Zakuden Town?"

"Yeah," Jeremy said to Anna.

"Well, they get their products from me." Anna told them.

"Wow; you don't mind if I could smell some of your perfume, do you?" Christina asked lowly, but Anna smile.

"Not at all, Christina. And you two could sit at the table so I can give you a piece of pie."

"Pie!" Angelina and Jeremy jumped at the sound of food. They didn't want to be rude, but couldn't help but rush to the table. Their stomachs gave a teasing growl. While Christina sniffed the various bottles, Anna started for her refrigerator. She came back out with a blueberry pie and set it on the table, followed by some plates. Crimson dropped onto the ground from his trainer's head.

Angelina and Jeremy drooled as Anna cut a piece of pie onto the plate.

With a fork in hand, Jeremy was the first to dig in. "Oh-yum! This is the best, Ms. Anna!" He exclaimed.

Christina soon rejoined her friends to have a piece of pies.

"Hope you kids enjoy it. I'm just gonna' work on the counter until you're done." Anna said to them. She walked over to the counter and unloaded the bag of berries she had at her side.

"Vulpix…. vulpix…."

"Oh!" Anna jumped unnoticeably; Crimson gingerly rubbed his body against the lady's legs affectionately. Anna smiled her sweet smile at his. She scooped up the Pokemon and started to massage the fox's belly.

"Vulpix-vul-he-he-he-he!" Crimson giggled gleefully.

"Uh—" Angelina stopped her fork abruptly from entering her piece of pie. The expression on her face was in deep thought. She was stricken by a sudden pang of hot-cold. She couldn't really explain it, but her insides squeezed up a bit every time she saw Crimson laugh. She had never seen Crimson that happy before. It could've been possible that he was really excited and pleased to see his original trainer again.

'_**His original trainer…. his real trainer.'**_ Her mind spoke. Her eyes glimmered with Crimson transfixed in them. Why did she feel as if a bit of her spirit was dissolving? She watched Anna play a slight tug-of-war with Crimson using a piece of string. She didn't even realize that Chocolate had helped herself to sharing her pie.

"Vulpix really does look happy." Christina stated.

"Well he should; he's finally with the trainer he lost." Jeremy said through a mouthful of pie.

The Crystal Bell let out a single thump that only the Pokemon were able to hear. Crimson averted his eyes to his trainer. Angelina couldn't understand it, but her heart started to feel like lead. And just like that, her hunger disappeared.

Angelina stood up to her feet, letting her fork clatter lightly to her plate. Everyone looked to her; Chocolate revealed her blueberry-covered face. "Please forgive me, Ms. Anna, but may I be excused?" she pushed in her chair and turned away form the kitchen without a second glance. The front door creaked open for a second, then thudded shut.

Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate blinked in confusion. But Anna and Crimson were both sporting concerned expressions.

"Where is she going?" Jeremy asked.

"We're really sorry, Ms. Anna; she isn't normally like this." Christina apologized, bowing respectfully in her seat.

"Oh, no problem. Everyone feels a little uncomfortable every now and then." Anna smiled, but Crimson was still worried.

"Vul…." Crimson looked up at the lady.

Anna nodded to him, "Go on ahead—I understand."

"Vulpix!" Crimson licked her cheek quickly and jumped out of her arms onto the floor. He noticed that Chocolate was already on her way to the door. "Vulpix-vul!" he called at her. Chocolate stopped and glanced back.

"Vul-vul-pix!" Crimson said.

"Pika?" Chocolate blinked.

Crimson nodded, darting past her. He jumped up the living room couch and out of the window.

"Well, Christina and Jeremy, I have something fun for you two to do if you're all done eating." Anna perked up, drawing the two kids' attention to her.

"Cool!" Christina and Jeremy stated.

Crimson jumped onto the grass beside the bushes of the house. He saw Angelina walking down the trail towards the forest with her arms folded. "Vulpix…" His eyes wobbled emotionally before jolting seriously. She had left without her backpack and might run into trouble. Crimson nodded and darted right after her trainer.

Angelina walked in silence through the quiet forest trail, her eyes never leaving the ground. She was so deep in thought, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. With her hands in her pocket, she let out a sigh. Her heart felt heavy—like a brick that would fall any minute. Her stomach seized her body with a hot-cold tension. _**'Maybe…. Crimson wasn't ever really…. he looked so happy with Anna—they were like siblings. That's a happiness I could never give him.'**_ she thought to herself, _**'He already has a trainer….'**_ Every time she thought of Anna, her heart squeezed up on her. If Crimson already had a real trainer, what was she? Her heart nagged at her, but she refused to listen to it. Normally, she would be happy about something like that. But she couldn't even break a smile now. It was as if she was losing a friend to this skeptical voice that had been lying dormant. _**'It was strange how we met….'**_ Angelina let her mind flash back to when she first reeled Crimson in. _**'It could be possible that I wasn't meant to be his trainer, but to bring him…. no—I've established a link with him, though, through the Crystal Bell…. or perhaps I can't help, but be a little selfish….'**_ She hadn't realized she had wandered so far into the forest.

"Bzzzzzzz!" "Whoa!" Angelina slid to a sudden halt, clenching her teeth a bit fearfully.

Fluttering before her was a swarm of dark-yellow Beedrill. They stared at her with those aggressive crimson eyes; their wings beat the air dangerously. One glance at a couple of their sides showed a couple of burn marks on them.

'_**Those Beedrill—they're the same ones from before!'**_ Angelina thought to herself,

'_**They must've been attracted by the screams I made.' **_The Beedrill poised their stingers to attack and she started to sweat anime style. All she did was stay frozen in place.

"BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!" The Beedrill cried sharply and sped towards he with their poisonous stingers poised. Like a computer, Angelina's body locked up—she wanted to move, but couldn't! She was about to become a Beedrill's pin-cushion!

"Yaaaaah—" "Vulll!" _**SPWAAAAA!!**_ Angelina couldn't believe her eyes; from out of nowhere, a burst of flames shot between herself and the Beedrill.

"Vulpix!" Crimson landed in front of Angelina. He hissed angrily at the bee Pokemon in defense for his trainer.

"…. Crimson…." Angelina squeaked. Her eyes started to tremble with a few tears clinging form the bottom. "He…. he came to save me…." she smiled and wiped the water from her eyes. A feeling in her heart hinted that this may very well be the last battle they face together. "Well…. I had better make the most of this."

Crimson glanced back at her with a concerned look. He understood what was going on inside her head with a nodded.

Angelina nodded back and allowed her expression to turn serious. "Let's do this, Crimson! Crystal EX Activate!" The Crystal Bell burst with a bright ice-blue light; Angelina's hair turned light blue and started to sway as if a breeze was blowing. Both her and Crimson's eyes turned blue as well.

"Bzzzzzzz!" The Beedrill buzzed dangerously, darting forward with their needles poised for attack. Angelina and Crimson closed their eyes. They could hear their hearts—their breathing—act as one. The air around them became heated with their energy. With a ghastly whistle, a bluish-purple flame faded into appearance beside Crimson. Another whistle sounded beside Angelina as a flame neared her as well. In no time, purple flames appeared all around the area.

"Bzzzzz!" The Beedrill beat against the air madly, closing in for the sting. Suddenly,

Crimson and Angelina snapped back to reality; immediately, the flames shot through the air in a dangerous array.

"Beeedrillll!" Singe sounds smoked up as the Beedrill were lightly scorched. The swarm

of bee Pokemon all turned-tail and fluttered through the branches from the fear of getting burned.

"We did it, Crimson!" Angelina exclaimed.

"Vulpix!" Crimson smiled in triumph.

"Now, let's get to Ms. Anna and the others."

Crimson nodded and jumped onto his trainer's shoulder. Angelina took off running. She still had that heavy falling in her heart, but with Crimson on her shoulder, she didn't feel as bad.

Hours later and back at Anna's house….

Angelina knelt down in front of Crimson, the fox Pokemon looked up in question.

"What's up, Lina?" Christina asked curiously.

Angelina swallowed as she prepared to make the largest decision she had ever made in her life. "Crimson…. I'm going to leave you here with Ms. Anna."

"Dah!" The others gasped.

Angelina felt an arrow of emoting pierce her heart with lightning speed.

Crimson felt as if someone had weighed his heart down with a load of bricks. The combination of shock and sadness struck him so suddenly, he didn't know how to react.

"You can't be serious!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Angel, please reconsider your choice."

"Yes, Angelina; are you sure that's what you want?" Christina and Anna stated to her.

"Listen; Crimson obviously misses Ms. Anna because she was originally her Pokemon. If I continue on with Crimson, I'd be destroying their bond. Crimson would be happier with Anna and if I want to truly call myself his trainer, I'd do what makes him happiest." Angelina said in a much clearer voice than before.

"You're crazy! What about all the good times you and Vulpix shared? Do those mean anything to you?" Jeremy asked with a stern frown.

Angelina made a facial gesture to show she was a bit taken aback by her best friend's words. "All of the times are very special to me, which is why we have to separate."

Angelina couldn't bare to say anything else. If she did, she would surely start to cry. Even in her silence, she couldn't choke back the tears well enough.

Crimson stared at her, his eyes trembling with emotion. "Vul…." he whispered.

Angelina, whose eyes were still hidden, stood up and slung her single-strap pack on her back. "Please, excuse me." she said and started to walk away. She didn't want Crimson—or anyone else for that matter—see her sob. If they did, they might feel sorry for her and coax her to change her mind. There was no time for second thoughts; she had done what needed to be done. Chocolate was the first to start crying, letting her tears soak into the grass. Christina and Anna gave their friend sad, concerned looks. Jeremy just folded his arms; it was obviously his way of showing concern.

With his eyes so close to the waterworks, Crimson trotted forward after Angelina.

"Vulpix!" he slid to a stop in front of Angelina to show her his eyes. He could care less if he held back his tears or not; he wanted her to look directly at him.

Angelina stopped in silence for a minute, feeling a bit uneasy. "….Crimson," She knelt down to the fox Pokemon and revealed her eyes. Her cheeks were a little tear-stained and water still dripped a little. "If you want to stay with Anna, stay. Remember that we're friends—and friends never really leave each other's hearts." The smile Angelina gave forced another tear from her eye.

"Pix," One of Crimson's curly orange tails stretched out and wiped the drip form her face.

"….Crimson…." Angelina's mind flash-backed to the many battles they've had; the gym badge he would have never received without her. He meant a lot to her and letting him go had to be the hardest thing she had ever done.

"Didn't it ever occur to her how Vulpix would feel if she wasn't around him anymore?" Jeremy questioned.

"He must be happier with Anna…. because he was his first friend. Angelina is more in tune with the feelings of Pokemon than most people—she would know." Christina told him.

"Angelina…." Christina put her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Angelina, I promise you that you will see Yoko again." Anna told her in a serious voice, indicating that she planned to keep that promise.

"Thanks, Ms. Anna." Angelina forced a smile. Even though it hurt her to leave Crimson, she knew their friendship would burn forever.

Anna and Crimson waved goodbye to the three humans. Crimson was happy to be with his original trainer, but devastated that he had to leave his new one.

Angelina walked in front of Christina and Jeremy silently. Once again, her eyes were hidden underneath her hat. Even tough she was happy for Crimson, letting him go left a hole in her heart. Chocolate was looking at her trainer with a sympathetic look. She wished so hard that she would stop feeling sad. "Pika-chu," She gingerly caressed her cheek with her tongue. Angelina took her in her arms without looking and held her close.

"Angelina, is there anything I can do?" Jeremy said, ready to jump at his best friend's request.

"No thank you, Jeremy. I can cope—just give me a minute." Angelina replied.

Making choices isn't always easy. The path down life is always full of bumps. But this is how we learn—this is how we grow. And I'd say that Angelina has done some considerable growing on this day. However, by distancing themselves, Angel and Crimson will always keep each other close to their hearts.

**§To Be Continued§**

This chapter was kinda sad since Angelina had to give Vulpix to her original trainer, and now that I think about it, it reminds me of the episodes when Brock was given Suzie's Vulpix for a while and had to give it back. Thanks for reading, I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	28. A Volbeat Story

Thanks for the reviews! So here's another long chapter! I don't own Pokemon except for my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

Chapter 28: A Volbeat Story

The afternoon sun started to sink behind the horizon in the late afternoon. The air was warm, but clear; something that couldn't be said about the sky. Mt. Chimney spewed out billions upon billions of white flakes like a volcano. The ashes looked like snowflakes drifting from the few clouds overhead.

Last time we left our heroes, Angelina had made the hardest choice of her life. Now, she walks away with a little more wisdom than before. What new adventures await her and her friends on these ash-covered fields?

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy walked quietly across the vast fields towards the final bit of forest they would have to go through before they reached Lavaridge Town. The raining ashes form Mt. Chimney painted the grass a grayish-white color.

Angelina let out a sigh as she brought up the rear of the trio. Her eyes were slightly hidden beneath her hat. She was still kind of bummed out about Crimson, but was starting to get over it. She kept reminding herself of how much fun Crimson was having and it made her feel better.

Chocolate walked by her side, giving her a worried look. She had never taken her eyes off her trainer and didn't plan to until she was happy again.

Christina and Jeremy just kind of kept to themselves. They were silent, but ready to help if Angelina needed it.

"Piiikaaa," Chocolate rubbed her cheek against Angelina's ankle gently.

"I'm fine, Chocolate; stop babying me." Angelina told her. Again, Chocolate fell silent at her side.

Angelina glanced up at the sky and allowed some of the ashes to fall on her face. "They look…. like snowflakes…." she said.

"Yeah, they do, don't they?" Jeremy held out his hand and caught a few.

"Hey! Excuse me—yeah, you three!" The three blinked at each other fist, then cast their glances to the side. From the distance, they could see a kid running up towards them. She had her brown hair in a ponytail and were thin glasses over her eyes. She wore a pink shirt and blue jeans to give herself that "I'm traveling" image. "Hi, are you three Pokemon trainers?" She asked as she stopped in front of them.

"Uh…." "Yeah, we are." Jeremy answered for Angelina.

A smile spread on the girl's face. "Cool! Then you don't mind taking me on in a Pokemon battle, would you?" She asked.

Normally, Angelina would jump at any chance to battle. But today, she didn't really feel like Pokemon battles. "No thanks, miss; maybe some other time." she started to turn away.

"Angelina, wait," Christina put her hand on her sister's arm, "Maybe a Pokemon battle is what you need. Ya' know; build up your confidence again."

Angelina stared at the ground for a bit, watching the ashes fall to it. Maybe Christina was right; maybe losing a bit of herself was what made her feel so sad. Perhaps a battle would help her regain, not only her confidence, but a little bit of herself that she lost.

"If this is a bad time, I can go—" "No way," Angelina dusted the ash out of her hair and turned around with a smile, "You just challenged me to a battle. And I accept your challenge." she told her.

_**Pokemon!  
Every trainer has a choice,  
To listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
Winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

The girl grinned and jumped back; that was Christina's and Jeremy's cue to move to the side.

"Okay, but I won't go easy on you. By the way, my name is Miyu." The girl said as she pulled a Pokeball from her belt.

"And I'm Angelina. It's nice to meat you, Ms. Miyu." Angelina did the same with a competitive grin.

"Does one on one sound okay?" "Fine by me." They agreed.

"Go, Shadow!" Angelina exclaimed and tossed the Pokeball through the air. It burst open in a flash of light that wiggled to the ground to form her Absol.

"Ab-sol!" Shadow exclaimed.

"No problem; go Krabby!" Miyo threw her Pokeball to reveal her Pokemon. It looked like a red crab with white on its underside. It had big eyes and repeatedly clanged its sword-like pincers.

Angelina pulled out her Pokedex and flipped it open.

'_**Krabby, the Pinchy Pokemon. Krabby crushes its opponents with its sword-like claws. **_

_**When it gets angry, Krabby bubbles at the mouth.'**_

'**Hm…. Krabby is a water Pokemon, and Dark-types fair okay,'** Angelina thought to herself.

"Begin!" Jeremy shouted.

"Don't waste any time, Krabby; use Crabhammer!" Miyu exclaimed.

"Fuchi-fuchi!" Krabby rushed forward with its long claw raised and glowing.

"Soool!" Shadow leapt out of the way just in time to let the heavy pincer beat the ashen grass harshly.

Again and again, Krabby swung its glowing pincer to force Shadow into a backwards dance. _**BAAAM!**_ Shadow winced greatly as she was knocked squarely in the cheek and sent flying.

"Shadow!" Angelina started to sweat. _**'That was nothing compared to a water attack. We have to think of something fast or we might loose!'**_ she thought to himself.

"Keep going, Krabby!" Miyu cheered her Pokemon on.

"Fuchi-fuchi!" Krabby raced towards Shadow with its claw raised.

'_**Think, Murakami, think! How do we stop that attack?'**_ Angelina thought more frantically this time. She couldn't work her mind; her counter tactics failed to reach her thoughts. She frantically started rubbing her hair. "Arrrrggh! Use a Bite attack!"

"Absol!" _**SHPPPWEERRR!**_

"What?!" Miyu blinked. Shadow clasped her sharp jaws around Krabby's pincer in an unshakable grip.

"Try to shake it off, Krabby!" Miyu exclaimed.

"Fuchi! Fuchi-fuchi!" Krabby started to repeatedly move its arms in rapid up-down motions.

Shadow kept her grip firm, despite how dizzy she was becoming. Krabby frowned and rammed Shadow into the ground harshly.

"_**Whaaaa!"**_ Shadow slid across the grass, kicking up a cloud of ash.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Angelina called. Shadow nodded, shaking its head. "Okay enough for a Headbutt?"

"Soool!" Back to her feet, the Disaster Pokemon charged forward with her head lowered for an attack.

"Angelina, what are you doing?!" "She's not concentrating!" Jeremy and Christina exclaimed.

"Pikachu-pika!" Chocolate cried out to her trainer.

"Not a very smart move." Miyu grinned, "Krabby, release your Bubble attack!"

"Fuchi-fuchi!" Krabby took in a deep breath and exhaled an army of bubbles from its mouth; Shadow was running way too fast and couldn't slow down.

"Oh-no!" Angelina gasped at her error. The bubbles burst against Shadow's body like miniature bombs, forcing her back. _**'Normally, I would've seen that coming.'**_ Angelina thought again, _**'Okay; I've gotta' find a move that can get Shadow close. I need something sneaky…..' **_"Shadow, use Faint Attack!" she exclaimed.

"Absol!" Shadow darted towards the left; like magic, her body vanished into this air.

"Yeah, she'll never predict this." Angelina stated silently.

Miyu closed her eyes. Her ears collected the every sound around her. Her Pokemon sat patiently, waiting for her next shot of directions.

Christina and Jeremy watched without making a single sound. Chocolate stood on edge with suspense.

"….left!"

"Fuchi-fuchi!" Krabby leapt to the left as Shadow re-appeared from thin air; her miss caused her to slide face-first in the grass again.

"Now, use Water Gun!"

Krabby made a gurgling sound as it blasted her with a stream of water.

"This isn't working…. oh." Angelina looked up from the ground, "But I don know something that will!" Shadow slowly got up slowly. He was kind of wobbly from being sacked with so many attacks. He panted, but was still willing to give it his all. "Shadow, we only have one shot at this." Angelina to her, "Go and charge forward!"

"Absol!" Shadow nodded and dashed forward. Just as she had expected, everyone gave Angelina a disbelieving look.

"I guess she didn't learn from the last one, Krabby. Use your Bubblebeam attack!" Miyu pointed forward.

Krabby opened its pincer, blasting an air-blasting stream of glowing blue ovals.

"Now, Shadow, Dig!" Angelina exclaimed. As quick as lightning, Shadow burrowed underneath the ground; the Bubblebeam raced across the grass, kicking up a little ash.

"No way!" Miyu exclaimed.

"Shadow, finish with Sand Tomb!" Angelina thrust her fist into the air. The ground around Krabby started to swirl as if a gust of wind was blowing. There was a loud bang as a burst of sand spiraled around Krabby.

"Fuchiiiii!" The crab Pokemon spun around and around until it was spat into the air.

"Krabby, return!" Miyu called her Pokemon back to its Pokeball before it hit the ground.

"Well, that took me by surprise." Miyu stated.

"Yeah! We did it!" Angelina exclaimed. Shadow came jumping out of the dirt and into her trainer's arms.

"Pikachu-chu!" Chocolate crawled up to Angelina and rubbed her cheek against hers; she was glad to see her happy again. Christina and Jeremy clapped for her victory. "

"Wow, you're really good, Angelina." Miyu walked up to Angelina and held out her hand, "You really caught me off guard on that last one."

"Thank you—this battle helped me more than you think." Angelina shook her hand and smiled.

"Hey, since you're going that way, why don't you three go to the Glass-maker's workshop? You can buy some pretty top quality trainer items there." Miyu told them.

"Thanks, Miyu; We'll stop by." Christina told her.

Miyu nodded and started to walk away. "It's been fun, but I have to get to Slateport City. I hope we meet again." She waved to them.

"Bye and thanks!" Angelina waved back.

Now, Angelina was chipper than earlier. It was as if the battle she just had restored a part of herself that was lost. As the group walked along the hill, the ashes fell even faster from the sky. Angelina held Chocolate in one arm and massaged her belly. The Pikachu was lulled nearly to sleep.

"Hey, guys, the New Year is coming up shortly. Do you wanna' take a break or something?" Christina asked.

"Yeah; we'll take a break once we get to Fallabor Town." Angelina told her.

"I can't wait—I'm gonna' pig out!" Jeremy exclaimed, filling his mind with food. His stomach gave a teasing growl at his thoughts. In his eagerness, Jeremy pulled out the Poke-Gear and selected the map icon.

"Jer, you don't need the map; just look out there." Christina pointed out to the left. At the bottom of the hill was a vast, gray field that lead to another small forest. The tree leaves were decorated nearly with gray ashes. Beyond the forest, they could barely see a town by the base of the mountain. What stuck out the most was a tall Japanese tower. Jeremy and Angelina blinked at it— with that tower, Fallabor Town would be a great place to celebrate the New Year!

"Volll-beat!" _**BAAM!**_ A voice and hit echoed through the air.

The three friends and Chocolate blinked at each other.

"Beeeat!" _**BAAAM!**_ The sound echoed again.

Angelina got down on her knees and started to crawl with Chocolate on her back. Jeremy and Christina followed. They all came to a stop at the edge of the hill and peered down. At the bottom of the hill, there was a group of bug Pokemon. The majority of them looked the same except for one.

The Pokemon in mass quantities looked like fireflies with dark black bodies. Their faces were blue in their stomachs were horizontally striped blue and yellow. There was red around their necks and upper thighs; their antennae striped in the colors of yellow and black. They had clear pixie wings and yellow bulbs on their bottom.

The one exception was a little taller with purple in their areas of red. Her eyes were blue and her bottom had no bulb, but rather three bright dots. Instead of having curly, striped antennas, hers were straight and purely yellow. Angelina pulled her Pokedex form her single-strap pack and flipped it open. The screen flashed on the majority Pokemon first.

'_**Volbeat, the Firefly Pokemon. Volbeat's tail glows like a light bulb. With other Volbeat, It uses its tail to draw geometric shapes in the night sky. This Pokemon loves the sweet aroma given off by Illumise.'**_

With another series of clicks, the screen flashed onto the other Pokemon and spoke. _**'Illumise, the Firefly Pokemon. Illumise attracts a swarm of Volbeat by using a sweet fragrance. Once the Volbeat have gathered, this Pokemon leads the lit-up swarm in drawing Geometric designs on the canvas of the night sky.'**_

The Volbeat all circled around another pair of Volbeat in the middle. Illumise stood on the sidelines with a worried expression. The Volbeat in the middle had minute markings that made them distinguishing from the others; the one on the left had a scar that ran across its stomach. The Volbeat on the right had a bright red star in the middle of its stomach. They faced each other with competitive looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" Christina asked.

"They're about to have a battle." Angelina told her.

"It looks pretty well constructed…. it should be interesting." Jeremy watched in interest.

The group of Volbeat watched the face off, cheering like a bunch of crazed sports fans. Illumise, on the other hand, didn't look as thrilled.

"….Voll!" Suddenly, the Volbeat with the star-marking dashed forward. "Beaaat!" The other forced forward as well; there was a sharp crashing sound as they went into a stalemate tackle. They had barely grazed the ground before jolting up to the air. Both glanced at each other, determined to defeat the other.

"Volbeat-volbeat!" The one with the star exclaimed.

"Vol," The scarred one replied. It brought back its fist and threw the first punch that forced both of them into a dodge-and-punch frenzy.

Their movements were so fast and accurate; if the scarred punched, the starred would swerve to the side or block. Both Volbeat seemed to be evenly matched.

"Wow; they're really going at it." Jeremy marveled at their bout, only jealous that it wasn't him exchanging blows. "I wonder whey they're fighting. It seems too competitive for sport." Christina stated.

The scarred Volbeat flew backwards to create distance between itself and its opponent.

"Volbeeeeatt!" It's antennas sparked at first before bursting with a blast of lightning.

"Baaaa!" _**WHOOOOSH!**_ The starred Volbeat soared to the left, barely missing the shock; it cut it so close that it could feel the heat from the attack. The starred Volbeat frowned and flew up towards it opponent. With its fists clenched, it didn't hesitate to throw a fury of heavy punches.

"Volbeat-Vol," The scarred folded its arms, dancing from right to left in mid air. Its opponent started to sweat and, though it knew it wasn't working, punched even faster.

"What's it doing; that Volbeat has completely thrown all thoughts of strategy out the window." Jeremy stated.

The scarred Volbeat rose higher into the air. Its wings started to glow brightly.

'_**It's Arial Ace attack!'**_ Angelina exclaimed in her mind.

Volbeat darted towards its starred partner like some kind of jet. The starred Volbeat was frozen in place—the shock kept it from moving! _**SPWAAA-THUDD!**_ The glowing wings struck it heavily and caused it to go falling from the sky.

"Vol-beat!" The scarred Volbeat didn't even give its opponent time to recover; it caught it by the leg and started using it as a punching bag.

'_**To use Arial Ace so easily…. this Volbeat must have a lot of experience battling.'**_ Angelina thought.

The starred Volbeat looked as if it didn't stand a chance; it took punch after punch with its face and stomach reddening.

"Volbeat-Volbeat!" Scarred Volbeat hurled the other towards the ground relentlessly like a bullet.

"Oh-no!" Christina squeaked.

Angelina started to sweat from the suspense-holding battle.

_**BA-THUMP!**_ "Huh?" Angelina became silently alert; the Crystal Bell thumped with an invincible wave of force that passed through in a ghastly manner.

"Beat?" The starred Volbeat's eyes snapped open form feeling the ghastly force blast through it. "….be!" It was so determined to win, it wasn't going to let anything keep it from victory. With its arms and legs in a sort of fly formation, Volbeat forced its body to spiral. It gathered so much speed, that swirling gusts of wind kicked up gray ash all around.

"I get it…." Angelina grinned to herself, but her friends overheard.

"Get what?" Jeremy and Christina asked her.

"It's simple; Volbeat kicked up a gust like that to keep its opponent from reading its moves. Now it had time to implement a strategy." Angelina told them.

The scarred Volbeat clenched its teeth and started to sweat. It couldn't even go into the vortex for fear of making the wrong move. And it very well couldn't predict its opponent's moves. "Vooollllbeeeatt!" Suddenly, the ash typhoon burst into nothing, but was replaced by a wind of silver crescent-shaped energy. _**"Dah!"**_ The scarred Volbeat gave a shocked gasp. _**WHHOOOOHSH! "Ah!"**_ it braced itself to take the forced of the harsh wind.

"Volbeat!" The starred Volbeat cheered. Down on the bottom, Illumise clapped, but the other Volbeat didn't seem as excited.

It happened so suddenly, that it took a while for everyone to grasp what had happened. There was a flash of bright light followed by a crashing sound. The next thing anyone knew, the starred Volbeat hit the grass with a harsh thud. All of the Volbeat started to cheer, but Illumise looked worried again. Her eyes trembled emotionally as she slowly walked towards the fallen fighter.

"_**Ha!"**_ The scarred Volbeat landed on the grass with a look of triumph. It walked over to its beaten opponent, grinning.

"Volbeat!" "Illumise!" Illumise gasped as the scarred Volbeat stepped on the opponent.

"Hey, that's going too far!" Angelina stood up abruptly and furiously.

Angelina didn't even think; she tapped the black buttons on her shoes to enable the roller blades and rolled down the hill. The wind blew against her hair as she kicked up ashes.

"Hey, wait for me!" Jeremy followed.

"Guys!" Christina hissed, but didn't dare to move.

The Volbeat and Illumise glanced to the side to see the humans and Chocolate race towards them.

"Leave that Volbeat alone—you've already won the match!" Angelina shouted.

"I'll teach you to pick on those who can't defend themselves." Jeremy pulled a Pokeball from his belt and tossed it before him, "Haunter, use Scary Face attack!"

The Pokeball burst open and the purple ghost Pokemon came busting out. "Haunter-aunter!" It's eyes started glowing red and it increased the size of its body.

"Vooolbeeeeeat!" All of the Volbeat gave a shocked jump; the attack caused all of them—except for the fallen one—to flee away into the air.

Illumise, however, stayed to comfort her comrade. She started to check it all over to make sure it was even still breathing. "Illumise, Illumise," She tried to shake it awake.

"Volbeat-beat!" from the air, the scarred Volbeat grasped Illumise by the arm. She watched sadly as she was pulled away towards the other Volbeat.

Angelina slid to such an abrupt halt that a small could of ash was kicked up. She looked up into the sky, clenching her fists. "And don't' come back!" she shouted. She knew she was probably breaking tons of rules of a Volbeat colony, but she couldn't just leave the Pokemon there. Chocolate came sliding down the hill followed by Jeremy and Haunter.

Eventually Christina slid down. "Are you crazy" She said to them, "You can't just do things like that—"

"Christina, I can't let this Volbeat become any more injured than it is." Angelina got on her knees and set him backpack on the ground, "Complications could rise if I don't help it now." she started to rummage trough her first air kit, pulling out bottles and bandages.

Angelina then started to check Volbeat's back and stomach—the points where it was hit the most.

"Okay, fine," Christina sighed.

"You did a great job, Haunter." Jeremy complimented his Pokemon. Haunter replied by covering its trainer's head with its ghastly body. "Haunter, stop that! I'm serious—stop it right now!" Jeremy pulled it away from him.

Christina and Jeremy relaxed in the ashen grass. Angelina had Volbeat resting on an inflatable pillow. She had already cleaned it up and was now bandaging the wounds on its arms and stomach. In a sense, she felt a little proud because it was as if she was a real Pokemon Doctor. Chocolate rested on her trainer's shoulder, watching airily.

"….Almost done…. there," Angelina tightened the last bandage. "Nothing broken, but it should take it easy for a few hours." she then let her mind wander back to the fight the two Volbeat had. If the scared one wanted to, it could've dealt way more damage. And with the Pokemon Center still quite a ways away, Angelina was glad it held back.

"Volll…." Volbeat started to stir. Its eyes slowly opened and its wings twitched.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Volbeat glanced to the side to see Angelina smiling at it. It suddenly jumped up to its feet, but winced at a pain in its stomach.

"Uh-uh," Angelina shook his finger and head, "You shouldn't rough it too much." she told it. Volbeat frowned and folded its arms, sweating. Its eyes wandered from side to side so it could both search for its kind, but not take its eyes off the human stranger.

Christina watched silently, but Jeremy had zoned into a nap. Angelina silently pointed out in the distance where the other Volbeat and Illumise flew away in.

"Kinda' cruel if they just left you here, but that's where they went. You can fly off, but you have to take it easy for me, okay?"

Volbeat eyed Angelina suspiciously. She was talking to its like an old friend or something.

With its attitude, Volbeat kicked off into the air and flew away. It glanced back once more, still frowning.

Angelina started to replace the equipment in her medical kit with a proud air of victory.

"Are you just gonna' let it fly off like that?" Christina asked, walking up to her.

"I'm a little worried about Volbeat, but I can't keep it here if it doesn't want to stay." Angelina swung her backpack onto her shoulder, "Besides, it can take care of itself—I can see it." she told her, standing up.

"Pika!" Chocolate jumped onto the grass.

"Let's wake Jeremy up and get moving—I'm starving." Angelina exclaimed.

Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy were now closer to the ash-capped trees, meaning they were closing in on Fallabor Town.

"Check it out, you two." Jeremy pointed before them. Not too far from them was a wooden shack. Across the front above the door was marked "Glass Shop" in gold lettering.

"The Glassmaker's shop! Let's go inside!" Christina exclaimed and started sprinting for the shack.

"For once, I'm right behind you." Jeremy followed her.

"But guys…." Angelina's stomach gave a hungry growl, "….oh, maybe they'll have something to eat in there." she grasped the strap of her pack and followed her friends down in the grass. She followed them to the front of the building and pushed open the door.

The inside of the building was something amazing; an array of different colors sparkled form the light reflecting off the colorful glass products stacked on the shelves. The shop was decorated with various vases and cups; glass Pokemon figurines and even furniture. Angelina marveled at them, but dared not to touch any of them. Just to keep it safe, she held Chocolate in her arms so she could resist the urge to do the unreasonable.

"Hullo, how may I help you?" From behind the font counter, a tall lady walked towards them. She had very smooth mahogany skin, green eyes, and short black hair. she was wearing red overalls over her white shirt and wore a black apron over that. Behind her, a chameleon-resembling dragon Pokemon trotted towards them. It was a deep burning red with sapphire eyes, a white belly, and a rose flame at the tip of its tail.

"Hey, that's a Charmeleon." Jeremy exclaimed. Angelina flipped open her Pokedex.

'_**Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon. If it becomes agitated in battle, it spouts intense flames form its tai, incinerating its surroundings.'**_

"Hi; how can I help you today? Would you like to try today's special?" the lady asked the kids.

"A special? What do you mean by special?" Christina blinked.

The lady turned to the side and reached into a barrel, pulling out three brown sacks. "I make my glass products out of the ashes that fall form Mt. Chimney. If you go out and collect some of the ash for me, I will make one item for free a piece."

Christina and Jeremy grinned to each other, but Angelina gave a weak look. Her stomach rumbled against Chocolate's back. "How about I pay you for something to eat first?"

The ashes snowed a little faster from the darkened sky. It was getting late and camp would have to be set up soon. Angelina chewed on a rice ball while she piled ashes into the brown bag the Glassmaker had given her. Chocolate sat on her shoulder, greedily chewing her own rice treat. The kids wandered through the ash-caped threes while making their sacks heavy with soot.

"Whew," Christina stood up and looked up that the sky through the trees. The stars shone brightly, bur the moon took a vacation from the canvas of the night. "It's getting pretty late. Maybe we should just set up camp for the night." she suggested.

Jeremy grinned, "You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" he cracked.

"Shut up," Christina snapped. Angelina swallowed the last of her snack and let out a small yawn. To tell the truth, she was getting a little sleepy and wouldn't mid calling it quits for the night. She started to tie up the brown sack, when sharp cry shook her awake.

"Be—eeeeet!" it echoed against the trees. Immediately, the voice registered as familiar in Angelina's head; she slapped the black buttons on her shoes and skated off into the distance without warning.

"Hey—what's the rush?" "Yeah; wait for us!" Christina and Jeremy dropped their soot sacks and followed her.

They could barely keep up with her skating further and further away. Angelina slid around trees, jumped over overgrown tree roots, and breezed through ashes. She came to a stop in a small circular clearing. There, she saw the same group of Pokemon from before. The starred Volbeat was once again underneath the foot of the scarred one.

Illumise looked worried and tried to comfort her comrade, but as soon as she started forward, two Volbeat grasped her about the arms. "Illumise—Illumise!" She struggled, but to no avail.

"Volbeat-Volbeat!" the scarred Volbeat laughed in triumph.

The Volbeat that was star-marked clenched it teeth as it gripped the ground. "Volbeat-beat, Volbeat!" its successor turned to the others and cracked some sort of joke that made them laugh.

Just by looking at it, Angelina could feel the many stings the star Volbeat's pride took. It was being humiliated for its lost and she could feel her anger rise. Like last time, the scarred Volbeat fluttered into the air, followed by its comrades.

Illumise was relentless in her struggle and continued to try and pull away. But the grip on her was so firm, that she made little progress. The group left the starred Volbeat on the ground all by itself. The bandages it had from earlier were dirty and a little tatty from its previous fight. It shook as it forced itself to try and sit up.

"Here," Suddenly, a pair of hands grasped its sides lightly and sat it upright. Volbeat looked back to see Angelina smiling at it. Immediately, its mind flashed back to how the human had helped it before. "Beat," It frowned and folded its arms stubbornly.

Angelina prodded her Crystal Bell with her finger and it started to glow dimly. She was so proud at how easily she could will her Pokemon speech ability. "I don't mean to butt in or anything, but you look like you can use some help."

"_**Huh!"**_ Volbeat's eyes widened a bit; this human had just spoken in its own language! Volbeat turned to her with its arms still folded. _**"What are you?"**_ It asked.

"Curious, concerned, nosey—whatever you wanna' call it. I don't think I can hang around here and let that Volbeat beat up on you like that." Angelina told it.

"…_**.you helped me back there. Why?"**_ Volbeat asked curiously.

"Why? Because you were hurt. I couldn't just leave you there like that." Angelina answered, sitting on the ground with her legs folded.

Volbeat looked at her like a detective would a crime scene. It let its eyes wander from Chocolate all the way to the Crystal Bell on her neck. _**"….I can't explain it…. you don't' strike me as a greedy human."**_ It started lowly. And if only that statement were only true; it should see Angelina at the dinner table. _**"I guess I can trust you…. can't I?"**_

"Yeah, you can count on me." Angelina told it.

"_**Well…."**_ Volbeat's cheeks went a little pink, _**"I sorta'…. kinda' really like this Illumise and I want her to understand my feelings. But her father is the leader of my group. The rules state that I have to defeat her father in a battle to even talk to her, though we sometimes meet each other in secret."**_

"You mean, that Illumise who was being carried off?"

"_**Yes,"**_ Volbeat told Angelina, _**"No matter how hard I try—no matter how hard I train—I'm never able to defeat him. If I can't win, I can't see her again—huh?"**_

Suddenly, Angelina grasped Volbeat's hands in hers and grinned, "It won't end that way—be sure of it." she said.

"_**But how?"**_ Volbeat blinked.

"I'll help you, Volbeat. I too have a few hurdles to jump to…. well, you know—the point is that I can relate. And I'll help you beat that leader!" Angelina exclaimed with a fire in her eyes.

A smile spread on Volbeat's face that turned into a triumphant grin, _**"Perhaps trusting this human will really help me out. She seems so nice that when she says I'll win, I actually believe her." **_

"By the way, my name is Angelina Murakami, but you can call me Angel." Angelina winked.

"_**Nice to meet you, Angel."**_ Volbeat said.

There was some rustling from the distant trees as two figures rushed up. Christina and Jeremy came to a halt in front of their friend, panting.

"Man….. you just…. skated off…!" Jeremy said breathlessly.

Volbeat frowned at them and pulled away from Angelina.

"Don't worry about them; they're my friends." Angelina assured it. "And they'll be sleep while we practice anyway."

Just as Angelina said, Christina and Jeremy had set up camp in a nearby clearing. The thick-falling ash rained onto their red tent, covering the see-through rood. Inside, Christina and Jeremy were snoring in their sleeping bags. Chocolate curled up underneath a yellow blanket. While they slept the night away, the outside was filled with a different kind of sound.

The echoing of rapid footstep as beat against the trees. Like lightning, a gust of wind blew by, stirring up a trail of ashes behind it. Another gust shot by in a bounce parallel to the previous.

Volbeat soared through the mini forest swiftly. The falling ash made it kind of hard to see, but its vision was good enough to guide it in the safe direction. In its head, it reviewed the words Angelina told it. _**"Remember, a battle isn't always about over-powering your opponent. Sometimes, your opponent's strength can be its greatest weakness."**_ Volbeat remembered.

Angelina, meanwhile, leapt from tree branch to tree branch deftly. She was determined to keep her promise to Volbeat, leaving it up to herself to train it. Her shirt allowed her to blend in with the night. However, her red skirt ruined that plan, so she had to use her speed to appear invisible_**. 'If I can get Volbeat not only to turn my power against me, but to do it in this ashy rain, it'll be ready to take on that leader.' **_she thought to herself, _**'I just hope we can do this all in one night.'**_ Angelina quickly caught up towards Volbeat; the Pokemon's glowing tail light acted like a beacon. Volbeat didn't suspect a thing, for the rain of soot kept her hidden. "….wait for it…." Angelina grasped her rose-shaped staff, "….here I come!" she whispered. Just then, Angelina burst off the tree branch at lightning speed.

"Beat?" Volbeat glanced to the side to see a swirl of ashes rushing towards it. There was the shine of metal, followed by the flash of a swing.

All through the night and all through the day, Angelina and Volbeat breezed through the forest effortlessly. Angelina forced Volbeat to think on its feet as well as see through the ash. The only times they did stop for a break were mealtimes at the Glassmaker's workshop. Night fell over the sky in almost no time. Angelina knelt down in front of Volbeat with a confident grin.

Christina and Jeremy stood besides them, proud of the hard work they put in. Chocolate took her favorite spot on top of Angelina's shoulder.

"Are you ready, Volbeat?" Angelina held up her fist.

"Volbeat!" Volbeat did the same with a boost of confidence. The ashes fell on their faces a lot slower than last night.

Angelina reached into her shoulder pack and pulled out a red strap of fabric; she tied it around Volbeat's head like a headband.

"You worked really hard, Volbeat; there's no way you can lose." Angelina told it, "Just remember what we practiced last night and you'll be fine."

"Volbeat-volbeat!" Volbeat must have come to really trust Angelina; it fluttered onto her shoulder and patted her on the back.

"Just one problem; how do we find the place where Volbeat's supposed to battle?"

"Pika," Christina asked and Chocolate agreed in question.

Angelina scratched her cheek—that was a good question. She hadn't even thought of it until now to tell the truth.

"Beat, beat," Volbeat fluttered into the air and pulled on Angelina's hat. "Volbeat!" It pointed to the distance.

"….oh, you know where it is?" Angelina stood up, "Then let's get a move on!"

"Volbeat!" Volbeat turned and zoomed towards the trees with a bit of excitement—it couldn't wait to introduce its new winning strategy. Angelina started off after it without using her roller blades, followed by Christina and Jeremy.

The starlight drifted through the ashy trees brightly. The kids followed Volbeat's glowing tail as a beacon. They jumped over tree roots and pushed through the underbrush, sometimes leaving a trail of ash behind them.

"Check it out!" Jeremy pointed before them. In another clearing, they could see the glowing of mall tail lights. Since they looked just like Volbeat's, it was easy to tell what they were.

"Okay, Volbeat; you're up. Go show Illumise and her father what you're made of!" Angelina exclaimed, tapping the Crystal Bell.

Volbeat nodded and flew ahead of them in the clearing, the group of Volbeat spun around in the air, laughing and dancing.

The scarred Volbeat sat in the middle next to his daughter. It looked happy and enjoyed itself, but Illumise looked kind of bored. "Volbeat, Volbeat?" the leader asked her. She just replied by sighting.

"Volbeeeeat!" Angelina's friend let its voice echo through the tees.

All at once, the merriment stopped and the area became silent. The leader got to its feet and turned around with a frown. All of the other Volbeat dropped on the ground while

Illumise gave a hopeful smile. There was a sharp rustle of the tree leaves before the starred Volbeat came busting through in a swirl of ashes. The determined expression on its face said it all; it wanted another re-match.

The starred Volbeat landed on the ground lightly, folding its arms. The other Volbeat gave it a reproachful look—they acted as if it was an outcast or something.

Angelina clambered up a nearby tee. Some ash fell on her face and hair as she climbed up. On top of a tree branch, she could not only get a good view, but be hidden as well.

Christina and Jeremy decided to stay low in the bushes instead.

With her Crystal Bell glowing, Angelina made it so that they could comprehend the Pokemon speech.

"_**So…. you're back again?"**_ The leader stepped up to the starred Volbeat.

"_**Yeah; I wanna' try again." **_

"Get some help from that human, did you?"

"_**That human is my new friend."**_ The starred Volbeat answered simply.

"_**Please, father, leave him alone."**_ Illumise pleaded to her father.

"You know the rules; he has to face me to even speak to you. But I assure you; the results will be the same." The scarred Volbeat clenched its fists.

"_**Hardly,"**_ The star Volbeat did the same.

Angelina could feel its determination for Illumise rise in power. _**'Good luck, Volbeat.'**_ she thought.

Silenced filled the area once more to build tension. The two combatants faced each other with competitive glances. At the swirl of ashes stirred by a short gust of wind, the two Volbeat flashed forward.

_**CLACK!**_ Just like before, the two collided in a stalemate tackle and leapt into the air.

"_**So what makes this battle so different?"**_ The leader grinned.

"_**Only everything!"**_ The star Volbeat replied.

The scarred's clear wings started to glow like one of the night stars. Potential force continued to build around it—it was about to Arial Ace again!

"You can do it!" Angelina exclaimed in a whisper.

The starred closed its eyes while floating in mid-air. The scarred Volbeat floated up a little higher, somersaulted backwards, and forced its body forward like a bullet. Its opponent, however, just remained calm with its eyes closed. It listened in on every move without even twitching. The scarred Volbeat's wings cut through the air like jets; the starred Volbeat's eye opened swiftly and it fell back.

"_**Huh?!"**_ the leader blinked.

Volbeat flowed into its opponent's attack like water, flying underneath. "Beeeeeaat!" With a vicious flap of its wins, the scarred Volbeat was sent flying by a harsh Silver Wind.

'_**Good job; you took it by surprise!'**_ Angelina cheered in thought.

"Grrrr! Beat!" The scarred Volbeat, who was nicked up pretty good, forced a bolt of electricity from its glowing antennae. "Beeeeaat!" _**SPWAAA!!**_ The starred Volbeat match the attack with its own lightning jolt; the sparks collided, resulting in a dazzling stalemate. The starred Volbeat floated up a little higher over its opponent. Once it closed its eyes, it went into a deep state of concentration. Deeper and deeper it delved into its inner power. As it did so, its taillight started to glow even brighter than usual.

"Beeaaaaa!" The leader flapped its wings heavily to produce the same Silver Wind that its opponent had performed before.

"_**Hah!"**_ Volbeat opened its eyes, sweating and clenching its teeth in horror at the on-coming attack. It had to use its arms to protect its face from the overtaking wind. The sharp gale nicked its arms and sides like tiny pins, though its tail didn't cease to get brighter.

"_**Have you had enough?!"**_ the leader asked, continuing to pour on the Silver Wind.

"_**Not—argh—really!"**_ the starred Volbeat forced its body to spin in a complete three-sixty degrees spin. From is tail, a prism of rainbow lights streamed through the sky.

"_**What!"**_ The leader exclaimed, quit taken aback. The lights flew in a spiral formation, crashing into it harshly.

"_**Yeah!"**_ Illumise jumped up excitedly, but the other Volbeat gave a reproachful look.

The scarred Volbeat hit the ground harshly. Its entire body rattled with pain from both the hit and the fall.

"Yes!" Angelina hissed, standing up on the branch. Still in the air, the starred Volbeat panted for breath. Just from those few attacks alone, a good deal of stamina was drained.

"…_**.he's….not lying. He really did…. get stronger!"**_ the leader shook.

Many hours later; Angelina, Christina, Jeremy, and Chocolate stood at the edge of the forest with Volbeat. The starred Volbeat stood real close to Illumise as they both faced the scarred Volbeat. Angelina tapped her bell again to listen.

"_**I guess I was…. a little over-protective of my daughter. I really wasn't considering how much you loved each other." **_

"Does this mean—"

"_**Yeah, just don't let it go to your head."**_ The scarred Volbeat told the starred one.

"_**Thank you, father!"**_ Without much warning, Illumise pulled the stared Volbeat into a hug, kissing it on the cheek. Volbeat blushed for a second, but pulled out of her grip.

"_**Illumise, I still haven't proven myself to you or your father."**_ It stepped up to her father, _**"Sir, allow me to still prove myself by battling you. I will travel to become stronger—that is, if you can wait, Illumise."**_ It looked at Illumise with concerned eyes.

Illumise smiled to it, _**"For you, I'll wait for an eternity."**_ She told it.

"_**Then its settled—the next time we meet, I shall test you to prove yourself. But how will you become stronger?"**_ the scarred Volbeat asked.

The starred Volbeat grinned and walked over to Angelina. The young girl looked down at it in a questioned expression. _**"By traveling…. with a friend, perhaps?"**_ It said.

"You mean…. me?" Angelina blinked.

"_**Yeah! Why not? We're friends now, aren't we?"**_ Volbeat smiled.

Angelina smiled back and knelt down to it, "Volbeat, I promise you that we'll become stronger together."

"_**I know we will!"**_ The two slapped each other a high-five and all of the Pokemon went into an uproar of cheers. Christina and Jeremy, who had no idea what just happened, blinked at each other.

Our hero has gained another friend to take on her journey. What surprises await them in the near future? As the New Year approaches, we can't help but get goose bumps. Join us next time!

**§To Be Continued§**

Took me a few hours to plan this out, but Angelina gains a new Pokemon! Thanks for reading! I'll be back again with the next chapter!


	29. New Year's Time

Hello! Back again with the next chapter. Don't own Pokemon, but you should know what I own. Enjoy!

**Chapter 29: New Year's Time**

The night sky was once again moonless, but made up for it with a dazzling display of thinking stars. A few purple clouds drifted through the sky overhead the busy bustle of Fallabor Town. The yellow-bricked roads were a lit with the dazzling colors of rainbow paper lanterns. Tons of festival stands were open, selling tons of Fallabor city souvenirs.

The town was really lit up beautifully like a glowing jewel. The smells of food drifted heavily through the nocturnal air. The most lively of the entire town were the people and their Pokemon. The humans were dressed in elegant kimonos and the Pokemon wore, if not kimonos themselves, colorful party favors.

Tonight, our story takes place in Fallabor Town around the time of the New Year's Festival. And you can be sure that excitement will still be at hand.

_**Pokemon!  
Every trainer has a choice,  
To listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
Winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!  
This dream will last forever,  
This dream will never die,  
We will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
Just know that you and I,  
Will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
Because we always will follow this dream.  
Pokemon!**_

A few fireworks burst into the orange and yellow sky, fizzling out in a puff of white smoke. The people and Pokemon of Fallabor Town were still active and lively. Fallabor stood right next to Mt. Chimney, but was upwind of the raining gray ashes.

"Oh—how I luuuuuuvv the New Year's Festival!" "Pikachu-chu!" Angelina and Chocolate exclaimed excitedly.

Angelina had a box of sizzling marinated oysters in her hands. Chocolate sat on her shoulder, gobbling down a stick of red cotton candy. Christina was sucking on a lollipop in the shape of a star while Jeremy was eating a box of popcorn.

The group walked through the crowded streets happily. They were just as excited about the New Years Festival as the people. Time had caught up to them, for they hadn't realized that this would be the first New Years' away from their home town of Pallet.

"But the best thing about the New Years Festival has got to be the food!" "Everything's food with you." Christina and Jeremy told Angelina, sweating anime style.

(Background goes black and a spotlight flashes onto Jeremy.)

"Personally, I think that the fireworks are the best part of the New Years Festival."

"Oh, get real!" Christina came form out of nowhere and pushed Jeremy out of the spotlight for herself, "The best thing about the New Years Festival are the costumes and the dancing."

"You're both nuts." Angelina used some kind of remote device to shift the spotlight off of

Christina and onto himself, "The food's obviously the best—"

"Say's you!" "That's right!" Angelina pushed Christina away from the spotlight.

Jeremy let out a sigh and snapped his fingers. The black background disappeared and the spotlights vanished. "This is getting us nowhere." He started walking.

"I have an idea; let's buy some new kimonos and celebrate." Christina suggested. For once, the older teenagers had no quarter with Christina's shopping and agreed with her. She walked in front of Jeremy and took the lead of their group at a jog. Angelina and Jeremy followed, still eating.

_**Riiinger-ring!**_ "Call for Angelina! Call for Angelina!"

Angelina slowed to a stop at the buzzing Poke-Gear on her shoulder-pack strap. Christina and Jeremy did the same, turning back to her.

"Who would be calling you right now?" Christina asked.

Angelina shrugged her shoulders as she pulled the vibrating machine from her backpack strap. "It's probably Mom wishing us a Happy New Year. After all, it is the first New Years' we've spent away from them." she figured. She selected the video-phone icon, allowing the receiving screen to pop up.

On it, she saw her Aunt Vicky. "Hi, sweetie; I hope you're training hard. Your mother and I have really missed you…." As Angelina talked to her aunt, Jeremy folded his arms. Not that he didn't want to talk, but he wanted to enjoyed the New Year's Festival. It has only a few more hours till the night fireworks and they would still be inside.

"Don't worry, Jer, this'll be quick." Christina winked at him.

"Yeah, I know," Jeremy grinned. "I'm sure you don't remember, but four years ago, we celebrated New Years' at Xanadu Nursery back in Pallet Town…."

_**1234(FLASHBACK)5678**_

"_**Hello, hello?" Amber cheerfully stepped into the large greenhouse.**_

"_**Hey, anyone here?" Marcus called out as the rest followed.**_

"_**It's us!" Angelina shouted. "Angelina and Amber!"**_

"_**Oh!" A pretty girl with long purple hair appeared. "Angelina! Amber! Marcus!"**_

"_**Florinda!" The two girls ran to greet her.**_

"_**Marcus, it's good to see you!" A young man with light brown hair in a ponytail and green eyes came up, taking his apron off. "And you brought guests."**_

"_**Wow, Potter, you've grown!" Angelina immediately popped in front of him, a flirty smile on her face. "Do you think I changed a bit?"**_

"_**Umm…." Potter stepped back nervously.**_

"_**Come on!" Amber dragged Angelina away. "He's taken!"**_

"_**What does that mean?" Florinda defended.**_

"_**Hi, I'm Tracey Sketchit!" Tracey came up and started talking with Potter.**_

"_**I'm Jeremy Cretonne." The blonde trainer introduced himself.**_

"_**And I'm Danielle Styles."**_

"_**This is a great place for grass Pokémon to enjoy, so feel free to let them out!" Florinda told her friends.**_

"_**Ivy-saur! Saur! Saur! Ivy, ivy-saur!" A Pokémon's voice came from the bushes.**_

_**Dani froze at the sound. Amber stared at her curiously, and Florinda stepped up.**_

"_**There's…. something familiar about that Pokémon…." Dani answered as the Ivysaur came out and stared at her back. She slowly pulled a Pokéball from her belt and held it up. "Ivysaur, do you remember your old Pokéball? Did you miss me?"**_

"_**Wow!" Tracey came up as the Ivysaur ran up and rubbed its head against her leg. **_

"_**It's that Bulbasaur you let go to evolve back in Lavender Town!"**_

"_**Really?" Amber peered over at it. "It evolved into Ivysaur!"**_

"_**This Ivysaur appeared in Pallet Town one day." Potter explained. "I decided to care for it here until its owner could find it. I'm glad it's back with its trainer."**_

"_**Bulbasa- I mean, Ivysaur!" Dani leaned down and hugged her Pokémon. "I missed you, too!"**_

"_**This is great." Jeremy crossed his arms, smiling. "A lot of times Bulbasaur won't find their trainers when they leave for the Mysterious Garden to evolve."**_

"_**Now you have one more Pokémon to add to your Pokédex!" Marcus grinned.**_

"_**Gloom, gloom!" A Gloom came up.**_

"_**This is the Oddish my Aunt Vicky gave you!" Angelina recognized it immediately. "You raised it well!"**_

"_**You really have a knack for identifying Pokémon that have evolved!" Potter complimented. "Florinda worked hard to raise that Oddish."**_

"_**I want to evolve it into a Vileplume soon." Florinda added. "But I want to wait until I show it a little more love."**_

"_**You can never love a Pokémon too much!" Tracey cited. "I got that from your aunt, Angel! She's pretty cool…."**_

"_**Hey, we were making New Year's preparations before you came, so why don't we all work together and finish it?" Potter suggested.**_

_**The eight of them hurried around the greenhouse, putting banners and Pokémon decorations everywhere for a New Year's Eve party.**_

"_**It's great, the five of us being together for the New Year!" Amber smiled.**_

"_**Yeah, Pokémon training makes it hard to keep in touch.…" Angelina struggled with the machine that would let down thousands of cherry blossom-shaped confetti. "This sakura confetti will be let down from the minute the clock strikes twelve!"**_

"_**You've really gone all out this year with decorations!" Dani carried some paper over to Florinda. "A nice teenage party is just what we need to celebrate!"**_

"_**Do you think the giant movie screen was too much?" Florinda was a constant worrier, and she rubbed her chin as she looked over to the guys that were setting up a giant screen in the middle of the greenhouse. "It really stands out…"**_

"_**It's fine!" Marcus reassured her, bringing some wires over to Tracey. "We'll get to see the countdown over in Goldenrod and Saffron City.…" He thought to himself for a second. "And in Celadon, Erika's going to host the countdown!"**_

"_**We'll get to watch the countdowns in style!" Tracey wiped his hands and smiled.**_

"_**Make sure there isn't too much confetti!" Potter warned. "It's going to be hard to clean it all up.…" He finished setting the clock on the confetti-thrower.**_

"_**This is a really nice greenhouse.…" Jeremy had Marowak out, as usual, helping him with the setting up of the huge T.V. screen.**_

_**It was nighttime when they finished making preparations, and some more teens from Pallet Town had been invited that were new to Daniell. They were all glad to see Angelina and Amber, and they exchanged greetings as they came in. Marcus, Tracey, Jeremy, and Potter continued to run around making sure everything was ready. Pokémon were scattered about everywhere, most of them grass types.**_

"_**It's eleven thirty!" Florinda announced to the large group.**_

"_**Here in Celadon City," The woman on the big screen said. "The famous gym leader Erika is holding one of the biggest countdowns ever at her gym. From the top of the dome shaped building they have crafted a large pole and a Pokéball at the top. When the clock nears midnight, the ball with drop at the exact second New Year's is here!"**_

"_**Wow, it looks like Celadon City's going to have fun!" Angelina chirped.**_

"_**The music is too loud!" Potter shouted over the booming stereos placed in several areas around the glass building. "I can't here you!"**_

"_**What song is this?!" Tracey was standing in front of one of the stereos, thinking.**_

"_**The re-mix of the theme song to the Pokémon movie!" Amber sang along. "Tatoe hinonaka mizunonaka kusanonaka…."**_

"_**Great party!" One kid shouted to Florinda.**_

"_**Hmm…." Dani squeezed Marril and Marril-Mew and Ivysaur stayed at her side as she looked around the greenhouse. "Hey, Amber, where's Jeremy and Marcus?"**_

"_**I saw them leave or something!" Amber yelled back. "Masara taunni sayonara, bai-bai!" She continued to sing the J-pop song.**_

"_**I wonder why…." Dani said aloud to the Pokémon.**_

_**Outside, Jeremy was looking at the stars with Marowak and Marcus. He was deep in thought, while Marcus continued to talk to him.**_

"_**I heard all about the whole Christmas night thing between Dani and Tracey." Marcus told the young trainer. "Is it…. bothering you?"**_

"_**Bothering me? No." Jeremy crossed his arms. "I can't let that little incident get in my way of Pokémon training, right Marowak?" It nodded. "They're my friends, and being jealous about it is just going to tear us all apart. I have my friendship to worry about."**_

"……" _**Marcus stared at him. "It's great that you look at it with such a mature perspective!"**_

"_**These mountains here…." Jeremy looked around. "These paths lead to the Indigo Stadium, where the Regional Championships will be held." He turned to Marowak. "I have decided-"**_

"_**Oh, Jeremy!" Angelina jumped up out of nowhere and interrupted him. She kissed him quickly on his lips, smiling. "Everyone's asking about you! All the girls want to give you a New Year's kiss, so I beat them to it!" She turned away and kissed Marcus on the cheek. "You, too, Marcus!"**_

"_**Tell me what you were going to later!" A few girls dragged Marcus back into the greenhouse shaking with the loud music.**_

"_**Come on, you!" Angelina smiled and grabbed Jeremy's hand. "It's almost midnight!"**_

_**Marcus was getting drunk again, surrounded by girls and reeking like sake, that famous Japanese alcoholic beverage. One girl's kimono was half off, and she was just as drunk as him. Tracey and Potter sat around chatting, Angelina and Jeremy danced to the music with a lot of other couples, and Florinda, Amber, and Dani watched with growing excitement.**_

"_**Look!" Amber pointed to the screen. It had separated into four squares showing Goldenrod City, Saffron City, Celadon, and Tokyo. "They're showing the four major cities' countdowns!"**_

"_**Ten! Nine! Eight!" They all shouted to the clock.**_

"_**Listen, there's something I have to tell you!" Potter told Florinda. "I…."**_

"_**Five! Four!"**_

"_**I…."**_

"_**Three! Two!"**_

"_**I…. love-"**_

"_**One!" There were loud booms and flashes of light as fireworks were set off everywhere, even the ones Marcus and Jeremy had set up outside. "Happy New Year!"**_

_**The cherry blossom confetti fell everywhere, and everyone cheered and clapped as the starlit sky was pierced with loud and brightly colored fireworks.**_

"_**Happy New Year, Dani! Florinda!" Amber clapped and shouted.**_

"_**Happy New Year, guys.…" Dani hugged Marril and Mew tightly.**_

"_**Our first New Year together!" Mew purred.**_

_**They could see the fireworks and celebrations from Kanto Region's major cities from the large TV screen, and the fireworks outside were almost deafened by the cheers and music playing in the background.**_

"_**Dance with me!" Dani grabbed Tracey's hand and dragged him over.**_

"_**What were you saying, Potter?" Florinda looked to him innocently.**_

"_**I…. never mind!" Potter turned away, blushing. "Happy New Year!"**_

"_**Wha? What's going on?" Marcus's hair was mussed and he rubbed his eyes.**_

"_**Big brother!" Amber scolded. "You got drunk again!"**_

"_**Hey, you back off, buddy!" Marcus hiccupped. "I had every right to bust up Professor Oak's lab! Hic!" He dropped his bottle of sake on the ground. "I said I was single, lady! What do you mean by saying that I don't have a pink elephant truck?"**_

"_**Great…." Amber rolled her eyes sarcastically. "He's so not driving home.…"**_

"_**One thousand eighty three bottles of sake on the walls! One thousand eighty three bottles of sake!" He sang, stumbling around. "Take one down, pass it around.… uh.…B-I-N-G-O! Old McDonald had a farm…."**_

"_**Fool…." Amber sighed but smiled when she saw Dani trying to get close with Tracey, **_

_**Potter chatting with Florinda, and Angelina flirting. The cherry blossoms continued to fall around everyone's faces, clinging to their clothes and hair as they laughed.**_

_**Everyone continued to party throughout that morning in the Xanadu Nursery, staying up till five in the morning. They all wanted to get back home before the sun rose.**_

"_**This was the best party yet!" One girl complimented Florinda and Potter.**_

"_**Do it again next year!" A boy shouted as he walked out.**_

"_**Keep it up!" Everyone shuffled out, bidding them farewell.**_

"_**Ugh…." Marcus stood up from his bed of confetti. "I better get home to sleep…."**_

"_**I can't believe we stayed up that entire time!" Angelina rubbed her eyes.**_

"_**I'm so tired…" Tracey raised his hand to rub his face.**_

"_**I'll get someone to clean this mess up later." Potter stretched and fixed his hair. "I'm going to sleep for now…. I'm getting too old for this…." he walked away while Dani giggled.**_

_**1234(END FLASHBACK)5678**_

"Wow, sounds like you had fun," Christina said.

"Yeah, I did," Jeremy smiled. "And that's why I always look forward to New Years to spend with friends."

"C'mon you two," Angelina placed away her Poke-Gear. "Let's get back to the New Year's Festival."

They walked down the street with bright futures ahead of them all.

**§To Be Continued§**

I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit short, but there was a huge flashback from my other Pokemon story "Somewhere I Belong". Thanks for reading, next chapter will be up soon!


	30. A Hot Crush

Back again! Here's the next chapter! You know my disclaimer, enjoy!

**Chapter 30: A Hot Crush**

The bright morning sun shone through the clouds in the sky above. A light breeze traveled between the buildings of Fallabor Town. The New Years celebration had ended and now came the worse part—the cleaning. The city janitors grumbled as they swept up paper from fireworks, food wrappers, and some things that were best left unknown. The spirit of the town had died down to a peaceful, normal state.

Now that the New Year's Festival is over, our heroes can get back on the road again. Their rest and relaxation has given them their energy back, and with an added surprise, Drew caught up with the group.

"Are you ready, Charmander?" Christina asked, clenching her fists.

Angelina, Christina, Drew, and Jeremy were in the town square—the only completely clean spot in town. The sparkling fountain in the middle spurted out crystal-clear water. Angelina and Jeremy sat on the bench, watching the little girl. Chocolate was perched on Angelina's shoulder.

Christina and Charmander stood facing their opponent.

The kid had short red hair and green eyes. he was wearing a yellow shirt and blue shorts. The Pokemon in front of him was a large, floating orange rock with yellow ridges that made it look like a sun. Its yellow eyes looked as if they were closed.

"Are you ready, Christina?" The boy asked, grinning.

"Let's get this match started, Natt." Christina returned the competitive favor.

"Ya know, I could be out there battling trainers, too," Angelina said. "But for now, I'm taking a break."

"Well that's good," Jeremy nodded. "And I'm sure Christina appreciates you watching her first trainer battle."

"Solrock, us Flamethrower!" Natt exclaimed, pointing forward.

"Solll!" Solrock's north-pointing ridge burst with a stream of flames that heated the air. Waves of intense humidity surrounded the traveling attack.

"Hah! Not hot enough for us. Charmander, counter with your Ember!" Christina shouted.

"Char!" Charmander clenched its fists and opened its mouth; a machine-gun burst of flames fired hotly. The attack collided with each other, fizzling out in puffs of white smoke.

"Wow, Christina, you're good!" Natt stated.

Christina flashed him a thumbs-up, "If you think that was good, wait till you see this next move. Charmander, Dizzy Punch attack!"

Charmander raced forward, its sleeping cap swaying from the breeze. It drew back its fist, which started to sparkle with spinning stars.

"Solrock, Tackle!"

Solrock forced its body through the wind at a whistling speed.

"Char!" Charmander frowned. If Solrock's speed increased, it would totally deflect the pain of the Dizzy Punch. It kicked across the brick ground to launch its body faster. "Char!"

_**SPEESH!**_ Charmander winced—punching Solrock's rock-hard body was no joke.

"Char!" "Solrock!" The two jumped back from each other.

Angelina held Chocolate close from the suspense of the battle. She must have hugged too tight because she struck her cheek with her tail. Now, she had a thin red mark on her face.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.**_

_**Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

"Charmander, it's time to heat things up with Dragon Breath!"

"Charrrr!" Charmander jumped into the air and spat out a burst of blue flames. Solrock started to spin in a clockwise motion; a thin screen of transparent light was created in front of it, blocking the burning attack.

"Good job, Solrock. Now let's catch it with Psywave!" Natt stated.

Solrock's eyes started to glow. Form its body, a blast of ring-shaped waves shot through the air.

Charmander crossed its arms to try and block them. The waves hammered its body, slowly pushing it backwards.

"Hang in there, Charmander!" Christina called, starting to sweat.

"I don't think so. Flamethrower!"

"Solrock!"

Charmander winced as it was swept off its feet by a burst of flames. It hit the ground with small black scorch marks on its body.

"Charmander, are you okay?" Christina ran towards her Pokemon.

Charmander shook as it got back to its feet. When its trainer came near, it held its claw out to stop her. It wanted to fight this match no matter what. Its obsession to become stronger showed that it was becoming more and more like its trainer.

Christina frowned, sweating anime style. "Fine, go on," And who was she to stop it? If it could go on a little longer, she didn't mind at all.

Natt was actually impressed. "Wow, Christina—I've gained an all new level of respect for your Charmander. But that only means we'll battle harder. Solrock, let's wrap this up with your Solarbeam!"

The north-pointing ridge atop Solrock started to glow dimly. Shimmering beads of solar energy drifted from the sky and gathered to it. Christina frowned and clenched her fists again. She had to find a way to stop the attack. With Charmander in its weak and panting state, it very well could take a Solar Beam.

"Christina, you have to take it head-on." "Huh?" Christina glanced back at Drew. Her friend folded his arms, "Solar Beam always takes time to attack. Use that time to your advantage." he said.

Christina nodded, "You heard him, Charmander. Flare Tail, go!"

Charmander stopped holding its aching arm to put its fists up. It clenched its teeth and launched forward. Solrock's point lit up like a light—it had retrieved enough energy to attack! This was bad. It was as if Charmander was rushing straight into a punch.

"Fire Solarbeam now!" Natt ordered.

Solrock's north ridge forced the glowing power to the tip; in a shaking force, a beam of solar energy fired heavily.

"Do it now, Charmander!"

"Charman—!" Charmander didn't slow down, but jumped into the air. It winced slightly; even though it flew over, the beam still grazed its stomach.

"Flare Tail Attack!" Christina thrust her fist through the air.

The flame on Charmander's tail increased in size, sparking wildly. "Char—char!" It spun around, swinging its tail viciously; Solrock's eyes widened as a whip of flames beat against its face.

"Solroooock!" the psychic rock Pokemon crashed to the ground with a harsh thud.

Charmander landed more softly, but fell to one knee. It was pretty banged up and panted from the fight.

"Charmander!" Christina's serious face turned sympathetic and she dashed to her Pokemon. She picked it up and cradled it in her arms.

"Nice job, Solrock. Return," Natt called Solrock back to its ball. He then adjusted his backpack onto one shoulder. "Is Charmander going to be alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, it will. I'll get it to Nurse Joy as quickly as possible." Christina assured him. Natt nodded and started away. Angelina, Drew, and Jeremy got off the bench and went over to Christina.

"Well?" Drew asked.

"Let's hurry and get it to Nurse Joy." Christina told him.

The four friends nodded to each other and ran off down the street….

Chocolate still had her spot on Angelina's shoulder, but Angelina focused on Charmander to make sure its condition didn't worsen.

Christina raced either around or through anyone who got in her way. She was so determined to get to the Pokemon Center, she ran down any and all obstacles.

"Wow, Charmander is really tough. It took a banging and kept on going." Drew complimented.

"Thanks," Christina half spoke.

The dome-shaped form of the Pokemon Center came into view at the end of the sidewalk. The sun gleamed off the red roof and polished windows. Christina smiled at the sight before her_**'Don't worry, Charmander; you'll be there shortly.' **_she thought.

Charmander's tail flame shrank slightly. The tough Pokemon frowned and forced its fire-tip to increase right back.

The kids burst through the glass doors of the medical facility. They zoomed by the various trainers and up to the counter. The Nurse Joy typing behind the counter was a little different that the others. For one, she wore a black shirt underneath a white lab coat and a white mini skirt. The hat she wore was the same, though.

"Excuse—me, Nurse—Joy," Christina panted, "Please, can you help—my Charmander?"

Nurse Joy looked up at him through her glasses. She stopped typing and stood up from her chair. "Your Charmander is in rough condition. What happened to it?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"My Charmander got pretty banged up in a battle. Could you help it out for me please?"

"Sure, I'll help—it's what I do." Nurse Joy glanced behind her, "Ruby, can you get the stretcher for me—we have to get this Pokemon to the ER."

The doors to the ER opened, followed by the sound of moving wheels. The Pokemon the kids were expecting was a Chansey, but what they got was something completely different. Her eyes were pink, but the rest of her body was unmistakable. Ruby was, in fact, a Charmander wearing a white nurse's skirt and red cross hat. She pushed the white stretcher a across the orange-tile floor with a serious expression on her face.

_**BADUMP!**_ Charmander's chest gave a sudden bump and it sat up completely. Ruby's pink eyes made its stomach feel both hot and cold. It tried to hold it back, but couldn't keep itself from blushing.

Nurse Joy took Charmander gently and sat it on the stretch. Both Charmander stared at each other, until Ruby winked and Charmander had to turn away as its heart thumped louder.

"Ruby, could you get it to Radiology first?"

"Charmander char!" Ruby saluted Nurse Joy before pushing the stretch through the door.

Charmander was too busy blushing to remember it was in any pain.

Nurse Joy smiled at them, for she knew exactly why Charmander was blushing.

"Nurse Joy, is my Charmander going to be okay?" Christina asked out of concern.

"Of course it will. You can wander around the lobby until it's back." Nurse Joy stated.

Christina stared at the ground for a second, then nodded to her. There was no use getting worked up; Charmander was her Pokemon after all.

Just then, there was a ringing sound from the opening door. The guy who came through the door had short brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a brown shirt and white pants. The Pokemon behind him was a large chameleon-like lizard, crimson in body color. Its stomach and claws were as white as the snow and stood out against its other body color. The tip of its tail burned with an orange-red torch.

"Hey, cool—it's a Charmeleon!" Angelina whipped out her Pokedex and flipped it open. _**Cli-ick**_!

"_**Charmeleon, the Flame Poke'mon. When this Poke'mon gets mad, it burns everything around it. This makes it difficult for inexperienced trainers to handle." **_The machine spoke.

The guy and his Charmeleon walked up the front desk with a wide grin.

"Hiya, Nurse Joy! You look nice today."

Without looking away from her computer screen, which she was using for Charmander's check-in, Nurse Joy let out a sigh. "Hullo, Chase," She really didn't seem that enthused. "I just want you to know that I'll be winning Fallarbor's Pokemon contest all for you. I hope I can find you in the stands."

"I'm one of the judges—you'll see me regardless." Nurse Joy told him, sweating anime style.

"Char-char!" Charmeleon blushed.

"Yeah, Ruby will be there too." Nurse Joy answered just as airily. She never made eye contact with them, just sort of kept to her computer screen.

Christina wished she'd hurry so she could get to Charmander. Without warning, Chase wrapped his arm around Nurse Joy's neck; the nurse gave a shocked look and had to adjust her glasses to keep them from falling off her face.

"Ms. Joy, wanna' go out for a pizza or something?"

"Oh, God—help me!" Joy muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" Chase blinked for her to repeat her statement. He relinquished her, but just when she was about to type, he gently grasped her hands.

"Chase…stop it please. I'm at work." Nurse Joy said, trying not to hurt his feelings. But her rejection only made him try harder.

"Ms. Joy," Chase smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth, "Please allow me to take you out to dinner."

"How about moving as far away from me as possible?" Nurse Joy mumbled again, "Chase, I have an injured Poke'mon to tend to. So if you don't mind…" With a forced smile, she nodded to her hands trapped in his grip.

"Oh, right; I'm so sorry." Chase let her go.

Nurse Joy got to her feet and started towards the ER in a somewhat eager attempt to get away. As the doors shut, Chase gave an airy sigh.

"You must really like her a lot." "Yeah….dah!" Chase suddenly jumped back from Christina, who was standing right beside him. He looked pretty shaken up. "Wha-where did you come from?" He asked, just when the others approached behind Christina.

"You'll have to pardon my little sister—she doesn't know her manners sometimes." Angelina said, smiling appologetically to her glaring sister. "Sweetie, weren't you just about to polish your Pokeballs with Drew?"

"You're Drew?" Chase stood up, looking towards the girl's friend with bright green hair. "So, you're the one who placed second in Slateport City, huh? Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Chase." he held out his hand to Drew, who smiled and shook it.

"I know who you are. You're one of the top beginner coordinators. You also have been nick-named the flame juggler because of how good your Charmeleon is." Drew pointed out.

"So, do you really have a crush on Nurse Joy?" Christina asked curiously.

"Well, of course. I'll do anything to win her over. My Charmeleon would do the same for her Charmander too." Chase answered, "It's what fuels us to win these Pokemon contests; whenever we feel like we can't win, we think of Ms. Joy and Ruby."

"How romantic!" "Oh, please!" Drew and Jeremy snapped after Angelina's comment. The two boys were all but interested in the coordinator's love life. As a matter of fact, they weren't all that interested in staying in the Pokemon center all day long.

Once the four friends were out of the building, Chase and Charmeleon made their move. The two grinned with a sly glint in their eyes. They rushed up to Ruby and Nurse Joy, holding their hands (claws) gently.

Nurse Joy and Ruby took a shocked step back, forcing a smile and sweating anime style.

"So, how 'bout that date, Ms. Joy?" "Char-meleon?" The two boys flirted.

The girls started to growl. "LEAVE-US-ALONE!" They shouted loud enough to shake the building.

There was a strange chiming sound that came from the speakers above. The wait was so long that Angelina cuddled with Chocolate and fell asleep. Jeremy was standing with his arms folded. She tapped the ground with her foot in a spit of impatience. Drew and Christina were the only patient ones; they sat together reading a book quietly.

The doors to the Emergency Room came open. Ruby lead the way our, followed by Nurse Joy. At that, Chase and Charmeleon perked up. Charmander walked behind with its arms folded.

"Charmander!" Christina dashed towards her Pokemon.

"Char-char!" Charmander dashed off towards its trainer, jumped into her arms. It was as good and energetic as new.

"Charmander was just banged up a bit, that's all. You've done a good job in raising it."

"Thanks," Christina said to Nurse Joy.

"Charman," Ruby walked towards her and held out her claw, "Char-char!" She winked at the Pokemon in Christina's arms.

Charmander jumped a little and started blushing again. It wasn't hard to see it had developed a crush on her.

"Charmander, Ruby would like to shake your claw." Christina smiled. Without getting out of Christina's arms, Charmander reached out and shook with Ruby. Its insides tensed up with butterflies.

"Erm…." Angelina slowly opened her eyes. She sat up and rubbed her face. "….ice cream…let's get some." she said, stretching her arms and yawning.

"C'mon, let's go get some of that ice cream. Angel has the right idea." Drew stated.

Charmander never let its eyes leave Ruby's pink ones. She didn't seem to mind and even kept her smile. Jeremy nodded and they started to the door.

"Bye," Christina waved to Chase. Before the friends left the center, Ruby gave Charmander another wink.

"_**Dah!"**_ Charmander froze up.

Outside, Angelina sat on the fountain in the town square. She shared her chocolate mint ice cream with her Pikachu. Christina enjoyed her own strawberry while Drew had vanilla, and Jeremy took on a coffee-soda banana split.

Charmander was the only one not enjoying its ice cream. It sat on the fountain, stirring the water with its foot. The sadden look on its face melted its ice cream.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong? You get the wrong flavor or something?" Christina asked her Pokemon.

"Char…" Charmander sighed.

"What is it?" Drew sounded concerned as well.

"Char-char, Charmander. Charman-char-char."

"Huh?" Drew and Christina looked to each other in confusion. They couldn't understand a word the Pokemon said.

"It has a crush on Ruby and wants to do something nice for her—loosely translated a little." Angelina said simply. She understood Pokemon speech perfectly without the use of her Crystal Bell.

"Oooooh!" Christina and Drew grinned a sly grin. Angelina sweated anime style. If she knew them, they were only going to make this situation worse.

"Well, if you wanna' impress her, you've gotta' get her something nice. Girls love getting gifts and stuff—dah!" "Excuse me; since when were you an expert on impressing girls?" Angelina pushed Drew off to the side.

"Since I've been coaching my own Pokemon, little girl!" Drew pinched Angelina's cheeks.

"You're so naïve, little boy!" Angelina returned the favor.

"At least I'm no Krabby!" "You jerk!" The two broke out into a pinching fight. Their actions weren't helping Charmander's situation at all.

"…." Jeremy's eyebrow twitched, "I guess…. this is what they call a lovers' quarrel."

At that, Angelina and Drew turned from their fight and knocked Jeremy on his head.

"Owww…." Jeremy rubbed his head and finished his ice cream. "My advice to you, Charmander, is to be yourself."

"Sounds so plain." Drew said, then turned to Charmander, "Don't worry, I'll help you out."

Charmander stood in front of the Pokemon Center doors, shivering out of nervousness. In one claw was a bouquet of flowers and in the other, a box of candy.

"Old fashioned, yes, but still effective." Drew grinned.

"…char-ar," Charmander backed into its trainer's legs. For once, it couldn't be its brave and bold self.

"It doesn't think it can do it." Angelina stated.

Charmander could see Ruby through the glass doors. She was sitting on top of the counter, gazing at the pictures in a medical textbook.

"Don't be afraid, Charmander. Fighters must be brave and face their fears." Christina told it, holding up her fists.

Charmander nodded and closed its eyes. With a deep breath, the Pokemon rushed forward blindly and burst through the doors in a blind race. The wind caused water to drip from its eyes.

"Well…it's moving, that it is." Angelina stated as she and her friends sweated anime style.

"I hope this'll work…" Christina said, praying that her Pokemon could achieve its goal.

Charmander closed in on its target—it was almost to the counter! "Char!" BANG!!

"**What**?" The four friends jumped.

From out of nowhere, Charmeleon landed on Charmander, causing its gifts to jump in the air. It caught them and walked towards Ruby deftly. Charmander was left on the ground with its eyes swirling dizzily.

"Charmeleon," "Char?" Ruby looked up from her book innocently. Charmeleon grinned and passed to her the gifts it had caught. "Char!" Ruby smiled to it.

Charmander frowned and struck the ground with its fist. It was so close and yet so far.

"Grrrr!" Christina growled angrily.

"Now, that was dirty." Drew stated.

"Now it's my turn." Angelina stated as she took off Charmander's hat and tied a black bow tie around its neck.

Charmander stood with its arms folded. To tell the truth, it thought it looked ridiculous. It thumped its tail on the ground impatiently, but stayed still enough for Angelina to do her work.

Drew stood with his hands on the back of his head, sweating anime style. "Angelina, Charmander's not a doll. What's dressing it up gonna' do?" He asked.

"It certainly will get her attention, that it will." "Pika!" Christina and Chocolate giggled.

"Drew, you had your chance. Now, it's my turn." Angelina told him, folding Charmander's sleeping cap.

"But what are you going to do?" Jeremy asked.

"**I'm** not going to do anything. Charmander is going to sing for Ruby."

"Dah!" "Ah!" Jeremy, Drew, Christina and Charmander gasped. Was she really serious? (to the reader: "I'm dead serious!")

"Angelina…" Suddenly, Drew put his hands on Angelina's shoulders. What really freaked her out was how emotional his eyes became—he was actually serious. "I think…" He continued in a calm voice, "That this…IS THE DUMBEST PLAN IN THE HISTORY OF YOU!" He suddenly shouted.

"Oh, shut it up." Angelina pushed the young boy away to focus back on Charmander.

"So why can't it just be itself?" Jeremy asked again.

"You're so plain, Jeremy. No wonder you don't attract girls that much." Angelina stated. She pushed Charmander up to the door of the Pokemon Center. Once again, it gazed into the glass to see Ruby again. She was dusting the books on the lower bookshelf with a feather duster. Charmander could feel its insides become seized by a hot-cold feeling.

"Don't be so nervous." "Charmander!" Angelina pushed the Pokemon through the doors.

Like a stiff board, Charmander froze. This was one battle field that it wasn't good at. It slowly walked up to Ruby and tapped her shoulder. When Ruby saw that it was Christina's Charmander, she smiled and winked at it again.

"Char!" Charmander shivered in its spot. Now, it couldn't move, let alone sing for her. It rocked nervously, not uttering a sound.

"Do something!" Christina hissed. The humans sat in eager anticipation.

"….ch-ch-ch," Charmander tried to speak, "…eh," Ruby stood patiently, scratching her head. "Char…ch—" BANG! "Charrrr!" Charmander was suddenly sent spiraling into the air and crashed into the ceiling and then slid down the wall landing on the ground. Charmeleon took its place in singing, though no one was sure if it should've been legal.

"Grrr! This is so STUPID!" Drew yelled, walking through the center's doors with the others. Angelina sighed, then glanced to the corner of the room to see Chase's grinning face.

"That's it—it's time to take the bull by the bull by the horns!" Drew told Charmander outside the center again. He was simply outraged at all of Charmeleon's interruptions. "This plan calls for something more head-on. And this time, I'll be right beside you. You're going to show Ruby how strong you are." He told Charmander. He pointed through the glass doors at Nurse Joy and Ruby, who were having difficulties trying to take too many boxes into the back room. "We'll show by helping them out." Drew let Charmander jump on his shoulder and pushed through the Pokemon Center doors.

Jeremy followed next with Angelina behind him. Christina was the last to go through. Drew didn't waste time in walking up to the counter and confronted Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy," "Yeah—just a sec. Okay, Ruby," Nurse Joy nodded to her Charmander and they both dropped a large wooden crate. "Can I help you with anything?" She asked.

"Actually, **we** wanna' help you. 'Think you can use a hand?" Drew worked his plan.

Angelina watched the scene with a serious expression. She was just waiting for Charmeleon to make its move.

Nurse Joy smiled to Drew; she easily figured out what his intentions were. "Sure; you can help me with the medicine boxes and Charmander could help Ruby if it wants."

"Char!" Charmander nodded and jumped onto the ground. Ruby smiled sweetly at it, making it shiver a little.

"Ruby, let Charmander help you take those food crates to storage please."

"Char," Ruby nodded to her trainer and picked up a large wooden crate that was slightly smaller than the ones she had earlier.

Charmander tried it's best to impress her by picking up the one Ruby tried to carry earlier. It was a little heavy, but the true problem was because it had to hold it at a corner to see. This made it wobbly. Ruby started in front, taking the right corridor behind the counter. Charmander followed as quickly as it could without dropping the crate. It was extra cautious not to bump it into anything, or so it thought.....

"Char-char-char-char!"

BANG!!

"Char?" Ruby turned around.

The crate Charmander had been carrying was full of fruits. Now that it had been busted open, the little fire lizard was covered in various fruit juices. It sat on the ground with a look of both annoyance and embarrassment: annoyed that it kept messing up, and embarrassed because it was always in front of Ruby.

Ruby sat her crate down and ran over to Charmander, who was shaking the wetness from its hat. "Char," "Huh?" She held out her claw to it to help it up. Charmander couldn't help but blush and accept her offer.

"What was that?!" Drew, Christina, and Nurse Joy came running down the corridor. They came to a halt when they saw the mess of fruit all over the floor.

"Oh-my," Nurse Joy gave a look of concern.

Christina frowned, for she saw Charmeleon behind the tree, laughing. "Alright—I've had enough of you!" she marched up and gave Charmeleon a sharp rap on the head.

"Meleon!" Charmeleon glared at her.

"Oh-shut it! I challenge you to a Pokemon battle. My Charmander's gonna' kick your flaming red butt!" Christina growled back. Everyone looked at her with a skeptical look.

"Agreed," A voice sounded. Their eyes averted to the entrance of the corridor. Chase walked down with his hands in his pockets and an arrogant look. "Little girl, I accept your one-on-one challenge." He said again. Christina frowned and clenched her fists.

Christina and Chase faced off in the town square. Their Pokemon stared at each other competitively. Angelina, Drew, Chocolate, Jeremy, and Ruby sat on the side bench to watch. Nurse Joy would've been there too, but she her work hours wouldn't permit her. Now this was something Charmander felt confident at. It was about to battle its best to make up for its past mistakes.

"Your puny Charmander ain't winning this one." Chase told Christina.

"You're talking to a future Pokemon Master, Chase—we always come out on top!" Christina shouted back.

"Let's get this started then." Angelina stood off to the side of the two fighters, "Battle set….Go!" she raised both her hands.

"It's time to teach you not to mess with my Pokemon. Charmander, Dizzy Punch!" Christina exclaimed first.

"Char-char!" Charmander rushed towards Charmeleon with its fist drawn back.

"This is going to be easy. Charmeleon, evasion tactic if you please." Chase stated calmly.

Charmeleon nodded; it thumped the tip of its tail to the ground and pulled its body up. Very deftly, it balanced itself on its tail.

"**What kind of defense is that?"** Angelina thought to herself, frowning. Jeremy and Drew observed the battle from the bench. They also pondered the same question as Angelina.

"Char!" Charmander repeatedly swung its star-circling fist at its opponent; Charmeleon skillfully moved any part of its body that was aimed for. Charmander started to sweat and punch more feverishly.

_**"I see…"**_Angelina thought to herself, _**"Charmeleon balances itself on its tail to leave its arms and feet free for surprise attacks. This Chase guy is clever, that he is."**_

Charmander frowned and jumped back to create distance.

"We'll get him this time. Charmander, use Dizzy Punch again!" Christina pointed forward. Once again, Charmander dashed with its fist outstretched.

"Counter with Fire Punch," Charmander's fist collided with Charmeleon's countering attack, sending them both back in a mini gale force.

"Christina, we can't let you win." Chase said, "Charmeleon and I have to show Ms. Joy we can take out any opponent."

"But bugging my Charmander by embarrassing it is where I cross the line!" Christina shouted angrily.

"Oh-pu-lease!"

"Shut it—talk time was over a long time ago."

"Fine, we'll resume. Charmeleon, Headbutt!"

"Meleonnn!!" Charmeleon torpedoed its body through the air with its head lowered. It was moving so fast that Charmander had no chance of escaping. BANNN!

"Ack!" Charmander sprawled onto the ground.

"Charmander, are you okay?" Christina asked her Pokemon. It responded by flashing a "V" victory symbol. "Good—scorch it!"

"Char!" Charmander pushed off the ground and propelled itself into the air. It opened its mouth and spat out a burst of hot fire.

"Dragon Claw," Chase ran his hand through his hair. It was as if he didn't see the battle as anything serious at all. That was the kind of attitude that riled Christina up even more. Charmeleon waited for the flames to get close. All the while, its right claw was glowing and sparking with crimson fire. As soon as the Flamethrower was at hair's width from its face, it swung its claw hard; it sent a wave of crimson that split the flames in half.

"…_**.n-no way…I've never seen anything like that." **_For a future Pokemon Master, Christina didn't feel so confident. She had never seen anything that was so frightening and spectacular at the same time. She and Charmander both sported the same blank looks. Even as the Pokemon landed, it could feel its hope dwindling.

"Wow…" Drew was also impressed, for he would have to go against that attack sooner or later.

"You see, Christina, how strong we are? You don't stand a chance." Chase stated arrogantly.

What was Christina going to do? It was like being backed into a wall.

"Now, for a signature move of mine. Charmeleon, Fancy Juggling!" Charmeleon looked to the sky. It spat a puff of cackling flames, which it caught with the tip of its nail. It did this for a number of times until it was balancing nine flaming spheres.

"Char-meleon!" Without warning, Charmeleon hurled them at Charmander like a pitcher. The pre-evolved Pokemon glanced towards Ruby. (Thought trans:) _**"I bet if I dodged these, I would really impress Ruby."**_ It thought. She was on the edge of her seat with a worried expression.

"Charmander, Rage and dodge!" Christina exclaimed.

In an instant, Charmander's tail flame increased in size and started to rage. It could feel the attack's power swelling up from the previous attacks it took. In a burst of speed and strength, Charmander raced across the white-bricked ground. It swerved to the right or left to evade the thrown floating sphere as it drew ever closer to its opponent.

"Char?!" Charmeleon took a shocked step back. Both it and its trainer sported a surprised expression.

Charmeleon frowned and started tossing flame spheres like crazy. But the more it threw, the closer Charmander got and the exploding flames around it didn't seem to bother it at all. Once it got close to Charmeleon, it jumped high above its head.

"Time to end this." Christina grinned. "Flamethrower, full power!"

Charmander hurled out a strong jet of red and yellow flames devouring Charmeleon up in a storm of burning ashes. The flames died down and Charmeleon had a few black marks over his red scales, but was on the ground with his tongue hanging out and his eyes were in swirls.

"You did it, buddy!" Christina ran up and hugged Charmeleon. The two; trainer and Pokemon, hugged tightly while everyone else cheered.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"And I'm sorry for trying to hurt your Charmander."

Back in the Pokemon Center, Chase gave and apologetic bow to everyone.

"The next time we fight, it'll be out of honor." Chase promised Christina.

"Yeah, honor," Christina held out her hand. Chase grinned and shook it.

"Char-Char," Ruby shook Charmander's claw, who smiled back.

Somehow, it seemed a lot calmer than before and didn't blush at Ruby's presence. It was as if it knew something no one else did. Ruby then walked closer and both of them started to blush wildly. It was quick, but still very powerful; Ruby pressed a kiss to Charmander's cheek, causing it to sway from dizzy shock.

"Hmm…." Nurse Joy smiled, "You know, Christina, Charmander didn't have to do all those things just to tell Ruby it liked her. She knew and was impressed by its real self."

"Geas, I told you." Jeremy stated with a grin.

"But how's such a distant relationship gonna' work?" Angelina blinked.

"Oh don't worry—we'll find a way. Right, Ruby?"

"Charman!" Ruby jumped and hugged Charmander.

**§To Be Continued§**

This chapter seemed short when I typed it out, not saying I got a writer's block, but typed out what ideas I had. Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon!


	31. Steamed Relaxation

Here's the next chapter! You know my disclaimer! Enjoy!

**Chapter 31: Steamed Relaxation**

Last time, Angelina and friends take a break in Fallarbor Town to celebrate for New Years. Now they make their way to the Cable Car Station that'll take them to Lavaridge Town; walking inside the small building and looked around, spotting a young man at a desk.

"Hello there!" the man said as the group approached the desk.

"Hi, can we ride the Cable Car?" Angelina asked.

The man nodded, "Sure, are you Pokemon trainers by any chance?"

"Yes, I'm going to Lavaridge Town to get my fourth badge," Angelina replied, while her friends and little sister nodded.

"Well, you're in luck! We had to repair since last week's attack on Mt. Chimney, but thanks to a young group of trainers' passing by, the Cable Car is ready to go now." the man said, taking a key from a corkboard behind him and approaching the parked Cable Car.

"Great," Angelina's group said, following the man to the car.

"Okay, here you go, kids! You don't need to do anything but ride it. The attendant at the top will help you get out when you reach the station." the man explained as the four friends entered the small Cable Car.

"Thanks!" Angelina thanked as the man closed the doors and locked them so they wouldn't open.

"Have a safe trip." The man bid pressing a button on a nearby wall. The cable car shifted as it dismounted from the parking spot and traveled along the thick black cable above. It pulled from the station floating above a grand valley.

Wow!" Christina said, pressing her face to the window. Angelina followed her lead as they eyed the large trees below. Jeremy and Drew sat on a bench across from the girls; Drew had his arms folded and had his eyes closed in deep thought.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm just wondering what happened here last week," Drew said.

Angelina looked over at her friend, "Well now that you've mentioned it, we haven't seen Team Aqua or Magma in a long while…. or my brother either."

"Don't forget Team Rocket," Christina added. "Remember they tried to leave the restaurant without paying?"

"Yes, and it was very nice to see Amber again since the Johto League Conference." Angelina nodded.

"Pikaa…." Chocolate said in awe leaning on the window right next to Christina. The tips of the large trees stood out from all the boulders as they slowly disappeared one by one.

A few hours later, the four trainers have reached the end of Jagged Pass. The sun started to set behind them as they caught sight of a small town at the base of the volcano.

"We're almost there!" Drew said.

"Yay, Lavaridge Town!" Christina cheered.

"And my next Hoenn badge!" Angelina smiled. "Let's go!" she began to run down the path.

"Wait for us!" Jeremy yelled, he and the others chasing their female friend.

They rested at the Pokemon Center in Lavaridge Town to heal their Pokemon and also decided to relax in the famous hot springs that the town is known for.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

It was the early morning when Angelina and Christina were wrapped in towels and exited outside into the back of the center. Carrying their toiletries and with Chocolate along side them, they made their way to the hot springs to meet up with Jeremy and Drew.

"Now Christina, the water is hot, so you can only swim in it for a short time," Angelina said, placing her toiletries on a table.

"Okay," Christina nodded, wearing her yellow two-piece swimsuit.

Angelina removed her towel and wore a navy blue bikini. She gently placed a foot in the water; it was hot, but not scolding. She then dipped her other foot in the water and then gently slipped in the water. "It's safe. Come on, Tina."

Christina entered the spring carefully, swimming with her older sister over to their male friends, in which Jeremy was blushing.

Angelina raised her eyebrow, "Did you know it's rude to stare?"

"Huh, wha? N-no, must be the heat from the spring." Jeremy stammered, blushing more.

"Sure," Drew rolled his eyes. "If that wasn't a lie." He smirked when Jeremy glared at him.

Christina giggled, "Can we relax, please?"

"Yeah, I'd like to before my next gym battle," Angelina informed.

"Pika…." Chocolate agreed, floating contently in the water.

"I guess I won't be alone," said a new voice.

Everyone jumped up in shock. Standing at the entrance of the spring was a woman around the same age as Jeremy with long red hair, redder than Angelina's, that was pulled into a split ponytail and reddish-brown eyes. She wore a bikini that was black and had a fire symbol on the chest.

"Sorry about that," the woman laughed. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine," Jeremy said. "We won't be here long if you want some privacy."

The four friends sat back down in the water while the lady continued to stare at them.

Angelina felt uncomfortable, and then asked, "Uhm, is there something you want?"

"Your friend there," the woman said, pointing at Jeremy. "If I'm right, is that Jeremy Cretonne?"

"Yeah, it's me," Jeremy grinned. "Long time no see, Flannery."

"Exactly," the woman nodded. "What brings you back to Lavaridge?"

"Badge collecting," Jeremy replied. "I'm not, but this girl does." he placed an arm around Angelina, whom blushed and waved.

"Hi there, I'm Angelina from Pallet Town."

"Oh? Then you know Ash Ketchum?" Flannery asked.

"My little brother," Angelina said.

"Ours, actually," Christina added. "I'm Christina!"

"And my names' Drew, Jeremy's brother."

"Nice to meet you guys," Flannery smiled, getting up from the spring. "Well, I better go open up the gym!"

"Hey Flannery, can I battle you for my fourth badge?" Angelina asked.

"Of course," Flannery said, wrapping a red towel around her. "Come by this afternoon."

"Great, I'll be there." Angelina said.

The gang watched Flannery slip out of the spring and made her way back toward the center. After she was gone, they resumed to their relaxation.

"She's a fire-type gym trainer," Jeremy informed.

"That's all I needed to know," Angelina smiled, looking up at the sky as she made battle decisions for her upcoming gym match.

They arrived at a dojo-like building with a symbol of the gym badge, which looked liked crackled lava, over the main entrance way into the gym. Angelina pushed at the big doors, opening up to the inside of the gym to reveal a flat dirt field with benches and spotlights around the area.

Angelina and her friends proceeded inside. Up ahead stood Flannery, now wearing a black shirt with a fire symbol on the front, a pair of blue jeans with a giant orange belt and a pair of black sneakers.

"Welcome to the Lavaridge Gym," Flannery greeted. "Ready to battle, Angelina?"

"Yes," Angelina nodded. "What're the rules?"

"Both trainer or gym leader are able to use three Pokemon each." A judge appeared as he took his place on the middle of the sidelines. "The challenger will be able to return her Pokemon at anytime while the leader cannot. No time limit!" he raised both red-and-green flags in the air and then swung them down. "Let the battle begin!"

"Let's go, Meg!" Flannery threw a Pokeball out and revealed a lava-like slug Pokemon.

"What's that?" Christina asked.

"Hmm," Angelina took out her Pokedex.

'_**Slugma, the Lava Pokemon,' **_Dexette said. _**'Slugma does not have any blood in its body, Instead, intensely hot magma circulates throughout this Pokemon's body, carrying essential nutrients and oxygen to its organs.'**_

"Okay then," Angelina placed away her Pokedex and took out a Pokeball. "I choose Shadow!" she cried, calling out her Absol.

"Meg, use Harden!" Flannery ordered. Meg's lava skin started to cool off, as its defense started to rise.

"Shadow, use Sand Attack!" Angelina said.

Shadow started to kick sand at Meg, reducing its accuracy.

"Meg, use Smog!" Flannery said.

Meg inhaled and then exhaled a cloud of poisonous smoke in Shadow's direction.

"Shadow, use Dig!" Angelina quickly ordered. Shadow then evaded the poisonous cloud by digging underground. Meg looked around for Shadow as he dug deeper into the ground. "All right, now use Sand Tomb!" Shadow then emerged from the ground as he created a pit of quicksand underneath Meg, slowly consuming it into the earth.

"Meg use Flamethrower aimed at the ground to get out of Sand Tomb!" Flannery ordered as Meg quickly shot a flamethrower at the ground, propelling it out of the quicksand."Now use Body Slam!" Meg then landed on Shadow with a full-body slam, crushing him with it's weight.

"Shadow! Get up!" Angelina urged as Meg slithered off of Shadow.

Shadow laid flat out, almost frozen in his tracks. "Sol!" he said determinedly standing on all fours, ready for battle.

'_**Oh, he must be paralyzed. I have to end the battle soon.'**_ Angelina thought, shifting her gaze to Meg.

"Okay Shadow, use Faint Attack!" Angelina ordered as Shadow motioned Meg to come closer. Meg cautiously crept closer to Shadow as he scratched at it with his claws.

"Meg, use Flamethrower!" Flannery commanded. Meg launched a stream of fire aimed at Shadow, who was having difficulty moving.

"Shadow, dodge with Dig!" Angelina quickly ordered. Shadow quickly dug underground as the flamethrower nearly missed. "Now use Sand Tomb!" Shadow then created a pit of quicksand under Meg once again as it struggled to keep on balance.

"Meg, stop struggling!" Flannery called out desperately but it was too late. The pit of sand consumed Meg as it slowly floated to the surface, knocked out from the pressure of the sand.

"Slugma is unable to battle. Absol wins." The judge announced as Flannery returned her worn out Slugma.

"Shadow, you did great!" Angelina praised as Shadow cheered with glee. "You deserve a good rest!" she recalled her paralyzed Absol, taking another Pokeball from her belt.

"Your Absol is very skilled, but since it's paralyzed, will your next Pokemon stand up against Macargo?" Flannery said, calling out a different lava-like slug with a rock shell on its back.

"Now that's a Macargo," Jeremy told Christina and Drew.

'_**Macargo, the Lava Pokemon.'**_ Dexette said. _**'The shell on it's back is just skin that has cooled and hardened, it sometimes spouts intense flames that circulate through its body.'**_

"I choose you, Chocolate!" Angelina nodded to her Pikachu, whom jumped onto the field and took a battle stance.

"Magu, Rock Throw!" Flannery commanded.

"Dodge it Chocolate, use Spark!" Angelina countered.

Magu threw boulders that were placed on the battlefield at Chocolate, but she easily evaded them with her speed. She charged up her body with electricity and tackled Magu, sending him skidding on the ground.

"Magu, Ember Attack!" Flannery instructed.

Magu sent out fiery-hot tiny flames at Chocolate, whom took the hit full on, sending her flying. Chocolate was still holding on strong though.

"Chocolate, use Quick Attack!"

Chocolate used her feet to stop herself from moving farther on back and she began to sprint at Magu at an alarmingly fast pace, tackling Magu into the ground.

"While its down, Chocolate! Spark again!" Angelina ordered.

Chocolate charged up her body with friction and shocked Magu with powerful electric waves. Chocolate jumped off Magu and it collapsed, small swirls appeared in its eyes.

The judge raised the green flag, "Macargo is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner!"

"Magu, return!" Flannery recalled her Pokemon and shrunk it down before getting out another.

"All right, Chocolate! You did it!" Angelina cheered as Chocolate ran up and jumped into her trainer's arms happily.

"Go Torkoal!" Flannery called out a turtle-like Pokemon with billowing white smoke coming out from its back.

"Koal!" Torkoal cried as more smoke came out of its nostrils.

"Take a rest, Chocolate." Angelina told her Pikachu as she brought out another Pokeball.

"Now it's your turn, Shimmer!" she called out her purple Feebas.

"Wow, you've got a shiny Pokemon. Very impressive!" Flannery commented.

"Thanks," Angelina smiled. "Shimmer, use Dragonbreath!" she ordered as Shimmer launched a stream of green flames.

"Torkoal, use Flamethrower!" Flannery ordered. Torkoal launched a stream of flames to counter the green flames as an explosion of dust occurred. "Now use Smokescreen!" Torkoal took this time to spread a cloud of smoke across the field.

"Shimmer, stay calm and try to clear the smoke with Rain Dance!" Angelina coughed out as Shimmer did a jig in the air. Rain clouds appeared above the field, dousing the smoke cloud revealing Torkoal inches away from Shimmer.

"Torkoal, use Overheat!" Flannery commanded as Torkoal's shell started to glow white. A white-hot ball of flames formed at Torkoal's mouth as he launched a powerful flamethrower at Shimmer.

"Shimmer, use Water Pulse aimed at the ground to dodge!" Angelina said. Shimmer shot ultra-sonic waves at the ground, propelling her into the air and out of Overheat's way.

"All right, use Water Pulse again!" Shimmer shot more ultra-sonic waves at Torkoal as the attack hit him in the head, temporary confusing it.

"Torkoal, snap out of it!" Flannery urged as Torkoal started to exhale white smoke.

"Shimmer, end it all with Dragonbreath!" Angelina ordered. Shimmer launched a green flamethrower at the confused Torkoal. He recoiled at the pain as he turned up onto his back, struggling to get on all fours. Torkoal finally gave up, exhausted and confused.

"Torkoal is unable to battle. The winner is Angelina from Pallet Town!" The judge announced as Shimmer jumped with glee.

"You did great Torkoal.…" Flannery praised returning her upturned Pokemon.

"Shimmer, we won!" Angelina jumped in the air excitedly.

Suddenly, Shimmer started to glow pale white; its figure grew serpent-like, with a red-and-blue scaled tail. The pale glow disappeared as Shimmer evolved into a Milotic with long red-colored hair-like appendages, curled antennas, and crimson.

"Mi!" Shimmer said majestically as Chocolate and Angelina gasped in awe.

"Wow, a Milotic!" Angelina took out her Pokedex.

"_**Milotic, the Tender Pokemon.'**_ Dexette said._** 'The evolved form of Feebas. When this Pokemon's body glows a vivid pink, it releases a pulsing wave of energy that brings soothing calm to restless spirits and becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding.'**_

"Pikachu pika!" Chocolate congratulated Shimmer who cheered with glee.

"Well, I'm quite surprised that your Feebas evolved into a Milotic!" Flannery said, approaching Angelina. "Congratulations! You deserve this, the Heat Badge!" she held out a yellow-and-red flame-shaped badge.

"All right, I got the Heat Badge!" Angelina cheered, raising the new badge to the light, making it shine with brilliance. "Thanks Flannery!"

"No problem!" Flannery replied, smiling. "This battle has taught me a lot…. That I have more to learn."

"So do I…. We all have something new to learn." Angelina nodded.

Angelina and her friends wave goodbye and leave Lavaridge Gym, walking back to the Pokemon Center to heal her Pokemon rest up before continuing her journey once more.

"Excuse me, young man…." An old lady said as she approached Jeremy. "Are you friends with that young girl who defeated Flannery?"

Jeremy, Drew, and Christina were out in the lobby of the Pokemon Center the next morning waiting for Angelina to retrieve her Pokemon.

"You mean Angelina?" Jeremy asked. "Yeah, I'm friends with her…."

"Could you give this to her for me? I believe this will be better off in her hands.…" the old woman reached behind her and plucked a fairly large blue egg from a carrier on her back, then handed it to Jeremy.

"Why would you be giving away a Pokemon egg?" Drew looked the egg over in Jeremy's arms and noticed there were about three large black dots on it. Two on either side near the top, and another on the bottom.

"Thank you, and I have been trying for some time to hatch it but with no success. I am hoping she may have more luck with it.… please be sure she gets it." the woman then turned and walked away in the direction of the hot springs, leaving Angelina's friends alone to examine egg in silence.

Angelina soon returned, "Okay, let's go!" then she noticed the egg Jeremy was carrying.

"Where'd you get that, Jer?"

"Some old woman gave it to me and told me to give it to you.…" Jeremy said, handing the egg over to her.

Angelina looked over the egg, then looked around as if looking for whoever had given it to Jeremy to give to her. "Thanks.… I guess I should get something to carry this in then..." she said, mostly to herself.

"Probably should, yeah." Jeremy replied. "Anyway, the next gym is back in Petalburg City. Guess now we have to figure out how we're getting back there."

"Well, I'd like to participate in Verdanturf Town's Pokemon Contest," Drew suggested.

"No problem," Angelina said, carrying her egg. "That's along the way."

Angelina has earned her fourth Hoenn badge, but with the goal in mind to re-travel back to Petalburg City, the gang also plans to head toward Verdanturf.

**§To Be Continued§**

Angelina earns her fourth badge, then receives an egg, and now she and the gang are onward for Verdanturf. You can take a guess what the next chapter is going to be about! Thanks for


	32. Disguised Disaster

LOL! You are funny! Well, here's the next chapter! It's a combination but also similar to the two episodes _**'Disaster of Disguise'**_ and _**'Disguise Da Limit'**_! I don't own Pokemon except for my ideas and characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 32: Disguised Disaster**

"C'mon, this way!" Jeremy said, running down the street toward a blue building. Angelina followed right behind carrying her egg with Chocolate hanging onto her shoulder and Christina bringing up the rear.

It has been a long journey, but the gang has finally arrived in Verdanturf Town. They've been there for a week; and while Drew was training for the Pokemon Contest, Angelina and Jeremy have been pulled into tracking down _**'Phantom'**_ the masked Co-ordinator.

They found Drew in battle with the mysterious Phantom. He was a sharply-dressed young guy wearing a black suit with a blue bow-tie, and red-and-black cape, a black top hat with long tan appendages, and a Dusclops-like mask.

Drew's Roselia had just fallen from the Phantom's Dusclops' Will-o-Wisp. A sharp wind of black leaves started up; everyone closed their eyes and put up their hands.

"If this had been a contest battle, you'd be almost out of points already, Drew!" the Phantom said, laughing.

The wind stops suddenly and the Phantom is no where to be seen.

"Huh? He's gone! But how?" Drew gasped, then growls.

Jeremy and Christina stood in shock. Angelina snapped out of hers and ran up to Drew, whom was now carrying his injured Roselia. "She's in no condition for tomorrow's contest."

"Yeah, I know that," Drew said, frowning. "C'mon, I need to get her to the Pokemon Center."

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

Jeremy, Angelina, and Christina wait in the lobby of the Pokemon Center while Drew finds Nurse Joy to help his Roselia. They saw him talking to Ash and friends, then walked out with his hands in his pockets; they decided not to follow, but went their own way through Verdanturf's park.

Angelina remained quiet; she felt terrible that Drew couldn't participate in the contest and it was all thanks to that Phantom masked Co-ordinator. She stopped and clenched her fists, staring ahead at a battle between her brother's Pikachu and the Phantom's Dusclops.

Just then, a loud beeping startled everyone; they noticed a black limousine driving toward them. The Phantom hurriedly leaves, and the black petal whirlwind picks up behind his departure.

"Oh no you don't! I got you now!" said a plump-looking woman with short brown hair chasing after the Phantom. She wore a red jacket, a purple skirt, dark red heels, gray stockings, and rings on her fingers. "You're not getting away from me this time! Come back here!"

"Should we follow?" Christina asked.

"I think your brother has that covered," Jeremy said, watching Ash's group run after the woman.

A couple hours later walking through the woods, the three friends arrive at a large two-story mansion belonging to the Grimm family. They were greeted by Mrs. Grimm's husband, Tommy. He was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair wearing tan pants, a green sweater over a white dress shirt, and red necktie.

"Timmy and his friends are upstairs," Mr. Grimm said.

"Did you figure out-"

"The Phantom's identity? Yes," Mr. Grimm smiled knowingly. "It was Timmy, of course. His mother has a strong dislike to Pokemon, so the only way he could attend the contests was to disguise himself as the Phantom."

"I can't believe it!" Angelina said incredulously. "Because of your son's challenge to a battle, my friend Drew lost his chance to participate because his Roselia got injured!"

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Mr. Grimm said sympathetically.

Angelina and friends were led into the library room occupied by Ash and gang sitting on a u-shaped pink couch. They were accompanied with a redish-brown haired boy wearing a light blue dress shirt and dark blue pants.

"Max/Christina!" the two children greeted each other happily.

"How's the traveling, May?" Angelina asked, sitting next to the brunette.

"Just great, I won my first contest ribbon!"

"Well that's good," Angelina smiled, then looks over at Timmy with a serious but also understanding look. "So let me guess, you want to participate in the contest tomorrow but your mother forbids it?"

"Yeah, more than ever!" Timmy replied excitedly. "And since Brock came up with this plan, I don't think he'd mind if you'd help out too."

"Oh, well in that case we'd love to," Angelina said, her face slightly red while Jeremy grinned to himself knowingly. "Although I'm still upset that Drew can't participate. He was really looking forward to that contest."

"I'm really sorry about that," Timmy said. "But right now we have a plan to set up."

Jeremy and Angelina were told to stay inside with Mr. Grimm, Ash, and Timmy. Christina was outside with Max watching May train with her Skitty. They stood around the doorway for a few minutes until they heard Mrs. Grimm yelling the Phantom's arrival and May cries out in fright.

"May, what's wrong?" Ash asked, running out the door with Jeremy and Angelina.

"The Phantom is back again!" Max said, pointing upward at the balcony where the Phantom stood.

Angelina blushed deeply at the sight of Brock wearing Mr. Grimm's old Phantom costume, she thought he looked quite dashing and very handsome. He noticed her wandering eyes, grinning as he took out a red rose and threw it down to her, she then swooned. Jeremy acted fast and catched the falling girl.

"Oh wow," Angelina breathed. "He's so dreamy." her face was in pure bliss.

"If no one's willing to battle me, I'm leaving!" Brock declared, but suddenly his mask was halfway off, "Hey! What's going on? Let go of my mask!" he yelled, trying to pull it back on.

"Prepare for trouble, the Phantom's exposed!"

"And make it double as our bank account grows!"

"Up there, look!" Christina said, pointing up toward the sky.

Everyone saw a Meowth-shaped balloon and inside was a blue-haired man and magenta-haired woman standing back to back in white uniforms, one of them holding a fishing pole.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Me-owth! Dat's right!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled.

"And just when our scheme was working so well!" May added.

"What scheme?" Mrs. Grimm glared suspiciously.

"Now to reveal the Phantom's identity and collect that reward!" Jessie grinned, throwing out a Pokeball. "Seviper, go!" she called upon the purple fanged serpent-like Pokemon.

"Cacnea, you attack, too!" James ordered, his crowned cactus Pokemon appeared and embraced its trainer happily. "No, no, no! Not me, attack the Phantom! Let me go! Ow, that hurts!"

"Seviper, use Wrap on the Phantom!" Jessie commanded.

Seviper hissed and wrapped its body around Brock, everyone gasped.

"Get this thing off me!" Brock yelled.

"Now tear off that mask and reveal the Phantom!" Meowth shouted.

"Ha-ha!" James laughed, pulling on his fishing pole.

Angelina stood in shock and still held onto her egg, she wanted to send in Chocolate, but listening to Ash tell Timmy, it wouldn't be wise to hurt Brock also.

"C'mon James, pull it off!" Meowth and Jessie encouraged.

"I'm trying!" James said. "Cacnea, do something!" he screamed, and the crowned-cactus Pokemon jumped toward Brock.

"No, leave him alone!" Angelina cried.

"Go Skitty, Blizzard!" May said; her Pokemon exhaled a snowy wind that blew Seviper and Cacnea sky high.

On the other hand, Brock fell to the ground on his back and his mask was half-off, but quickly pulled it back over his face when Mrs. Grimm stared at him in shock.

"C'mon Pikachu, finish them off with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"You too, Chocolate!" Angelina shouted.

"Pikaaaa-chuuuuuuu!" both Pikachus' released a huge blast of electricity and knocked Team Rocket into the air.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting of again!" the Rockets screamed, disappearing out of sight.

"Well I got rid of those guys, didn't I?" Brock asked, standing up dizzily. "I've been amazing enough for one day, farewell!" he runs off, taking big steps and trips slightly along the way. "Hahahaha! The Phantom strikes again—ouch! ahahahaha!"

"Ah, but-" Mrs. Grimm began confusedly.

"We know for sure it's not Timmy at least!" Ash stated.

"Thank goodness," Max said in relief.

"Of course it's not Timmy," Mrs. Grimm agreed nervously. "As for me, I better get back to work now." and with that said, she walked toward the front door and entered the house.

"Hey Angel, that swooning you acted back there seemed pretty real," Jeremy said, then realized the girl was in a daze and waved a hand in front of her. "You okay, Angel?"

"Yes, fine. Wonderful," Angelina smiled, blushing as she stared over her friend's shoulder when Brock appeared behind Ash.

Jeremy sighed, "Why don't you just tell the guy your feelings already?"

"It's not the right time yet," Angelina replied. "Trust me, I know." she and her friends watched May and Timmy stare at each other competitively.

The very next day, Angelina and friends met up with Drew at Verdanturf's Contest Arena and awaited anxiously for the contest to begin. Vivian Viridian appeared on stage and introduced the judges: head-judge Mr. Contesta, Sukizo— director of the Pokemon Fan Club, and Verdanturf Town's Nurse Joy.

"Now let's bring on our first contestant, shall we? Let's meet Co-ordinator number one, Jeslana!" Vivian pointed to a woman wearing a brown hat, a long-and-bell sleeved yellow dress, and black boots.

"We'll be starting off with Dustox!" the woman tossed out a Pokeball and it burst open in the air.

"Duuuus-tox!" a moth-like Pokemon appeared with a purple body with four tiny red legs. Its eyes as well as its large antennae were yellow. Its green wings were decorated with four red spots that looked like eyes; silver powder flew everywhere and lands in its trainer's head. "Dustox!"

"Isn't that beautiful, folks? Striking, majestic! A perfect opening statement!" Vivian told the awestruck crowd.

"What Pokemon is that?" Angelina withdrew her Pokedex and flipped it open.

'_**Dustox, the Poison Moth Pokemon. The fine dust that drifts from this Pokemon's wings is actually a form of poison. Dustox uses this poison to subdue its prey.'**_

"Dustox, Poison Sting!" Jeslana ordered.

Dustox rose into the air; shooting an array of sharp, glowing white pins from its mouth.

"Follow up with Whirlwind!"

Dustox then flaps its wings, creating a huge blast of wind that spins the glowing barbs that make them look like spinning batons.

"And now Psybeam!"

Dustox's yellow eyes glowed and released a multi-colored beam that collides with the poison barbs and rainbow colored particles ripple from impact zone as the crowd cheers.

"Unbelievable!" Vivian exclaimed. "Dustox used Whirlwind to lift Poison Sting high into the sky and then set it aglow with Psybeam! An impressive combination of techniques, folks!"

"That appeal was great," Jeremy said.

"Yeah," Angelina nodded, staring at the screen showing Jeslana's picture; the woman had blue eyes and wore round green earrings. _**'She looks familiar, but from where?' **_

"Pika, pi!" Chocolate tugged her trainer's shirt, then pointed toward a blue-haired man in a white uniform sitting next to a Meowth. "Pi-pikachu!"

Angelina gasped, "They're here? So I was right, that _**WAS**_ Jessie!"

"Huh?" Jeremy, Christina, and Drew blinked in confusion.

"Oh? It's nothing, don't worry about it," Angelina waved dismissively while they shrugged and continued watching the contest.

The next co-ordinator uses a Charizard; its appeal of a spiraled Flamethrower earned a 20.5 while another co-ordinator's Blastoise appealed with Hydro Pump and got a 15.8.

"Next up, contestant 21! Let's hear it for May!" Vivian announced as the brunette appeared on stage and calls out her Skitty.

"Well May's looking more confident," Drew said, impressed.

"All right now Blizzard, Skitty!" May ordered, but the attack barely leaves the Pokemon's mouth.

"What's wrong?" Angelina asked worriedly.

"She must be nervous, and it's affecting her Pokemon," Jeremy presumed.

"Skitty, show them your Double Slap!" May commanded, tossing out three orange balls to her Pokemon as it starts to juggling them by using her tail.

"Some excellent juggling and a great comeback after that rough start," Vivian informed as the crowd applauds lightly. "Now, let's see what the judges had to say?" she said as a 24.9 appeared on the screen. "Twenty-four nine! Too bad, I'm sure she was looking for something higher."

Angelina sighed, "What a shame," she then noticed Drew's disappointment. "She tried her best, all that matters."

"Yeah, I know," Drew nodded.

"Dusclops, Will-o-Wisp!" Timmy ordered; his Pokemon growled as four blue flames appeared. "Follow up with Psychic!" he added, the psychic attack turned the flames into three spinning wheels inside of one another.

"Wow, a mind-bending combination of Will-o-Wisp and Psychic from the Phantom!" Vivian explained, then a 27.8 appeared on the screen. "Twenty-seven eight, the judges loved it, too! Let's hear it for the Phantom who finishes the first round beautifully!" she told the impressed crowd.

After a short intermission, Vivian announces the contestants moving onto the second round: Jeslana, Stephano, the Phantom, and May. The first contest match of second round is between May and Stephano; May's Skitty takes out Stephano's Wartortle at the last second.

"Now in the last semi-final match, its our leader Jeslana versus the third seat, Phantom. Let the battle begin!" Vivian said as both Pokemon were called out.

Jessie orders her Dustox to use Whirlwind, which blows Dusclops back a ways. Dusclops then easily breaks through the Whirlwind with a Shadow Punch and manages to connect it with Dustox. Jessie's bar drops to three quarters and she then orders Dustox to use Psybeam which hits Dusclops and Timmy's bar also drops to three quarters. Dustox lets loose another Psybeam and Dusclops retaliates with Psychic, the two attacks collide and a game of push and shove ensues. Suddenly, the two attacks create an explosion and both trainers cower away from the smoke. Jeslana's costume had disappeared and she was now wearing a white female Team Rocket uniform.

"It's Jessie from Team Rocket!" Jeremy yelled.

"Time is up, the winner on points is Phantom and Dusclops! Please proceed to the final stage!" Vivian announced.

"That's what I get for playing fair and square!" Jessie growled angrily. "So now, I'll just have to take your Dusclops by force!"

"I don't think so!" Timmy said, just as James and Meowth appeared next to Jessie.

"Prepare for trouble, Mr. Mystery!"

"And make it double, you're history!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

"Woo-bbuffet!"

"Time to hand over the Duslops!" the Rockets leaped at the Pokemon.

"Get'em Chocolate, Thunderbolt'em!" Angelina ordered; her Pokemon jumped out at the same time her brother's did and released a blast of electricity on the Rockets that formed smoke and sent them through the roof.

The smoke clears from the stadium, and Timmy stands without a mask, which Vivian points out to the crowd. From where Angelina was sitting with her friends, they could see Mrs. Grimm walk out looking very upset.

"Where you going?" Drew asked, watching his friends leave the stands.

"To get some fresh air, we'll be right back," Jeremy assured.

They walked out of the arena and met up with Ash and friends in the lobby standing in front of Mr. Grimm.

"Yes, believe it or not, your mom loved Pokemon too when she was young," Mr. Grimm told his son.

"What happened to make her change her mind?" May asked.

"I'll tell you," Mr. Grimm said. "Mrs. Grimm was the only child of wealthy parents, and so it was expected that when she'd grow up, she would take over the family business. She had to grow up fast, and so things her parents thought we childish were taken away from her. Including her beloved Poochyena. She was forbidden to have any contact with Pokemon ever again."

"I never knew that," Timmy frowned.

"So you see, your mother doesn't really hate Pokemon, Timmy. She just thought if you never fell in love with Pokemon, you would never be heartbroken." Mr. Grimm explained.

"Like her," Timmy agreed.

"But apparently she still can't bare to see you with your Pokemon," Mr. Grimm added. "So this could be your last chance in a Pokemon contest, which means you go make the most of it. Go get'em!"

"Okay," Timmy nodded. "You can count on me."

Back inside the arena, everyone returns to their seats just as the final match is about to begin. May and Timmy now stand on opposite sides of the field, and Timmy is wearing his mask.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for. The final championship showdown between May and the Phantom!" Vivian told the crowd. "Begin the battle!"

May and Timmy send out their Pokemon. Dusclops starts with a Shadow Punch and brings May's bar down a little when it connects. May then tells Skitty to use Double Slap, but it doesn't seem to work since physical attacks don't affect Ghost-types. Dusclops sends in another Shadow Punch, but May has Skitty swat it away with its tail. This brings Timmy's bar down a little.

Dusclops then uses the Will-o-Wisp/Psychic combo to send the flames at Skitty. Skitty is struck repeatedly and May's bar begins to drop. The clock reaches three minutes just as May tells Skitty to attack again, but its blown back by a Hyper Beam from Dusclops.

"May's still using Normal attacks." Angelina said.

"And she's losing." Jeremy added.

May's bar drops again and tries to have Skitty use Blizzard next, but the attack doesn't even seem to make Dusclops flinch. Skitty is then struck again by a Hyper Beam and May's bar drops to a little less than half with only 1:30 left.

"C'mon, don't give up!" Angelina shouted. "There's still time left!"

Christina sighed, "It's no use, May's already tried every attack she has."

"There's still one more." Jeremy said, which made Angelina look at him curiously. "Like your Skitty and my Delcatty, they have an attack that can help. If you don't remember, I'm sure May will figure it out."

Dusclops uses Hyper Beam again, but this time May has Skitty use Assist. A Gust comes out and smashes through the Hyper Beam dropping Timmy's bar even with May's.

Angelina gasped, "You were right. I did forget that Assist is a useful attack."

"You never know what the results are going to be." Jeremy grinned.

"That was bold, using Assist!" Drew admitted, then smiled. "Hey, she may win this match yet!"

Timmy has Dusclops use Shadow Punch. Skitty then uses Assist and gets a String Shot. The attack wraps around the shadow fist and smashes it, making Timmy's bar drop further.

"Look there, its Timmy's Mom!" Christina pointed toward the woman that entered the arena.

"Don't ever collapse under pressure, Timmy." Mrs. Grimm encouraged. "Dusclops is battling for you because it trusts you. Just like May's Skitty trusts her. Have confidence and have faith in your Pokemon and then you won't need a mask."

"Yeah, you're right." Timmy nodded, taking off his mask. "There."

"Oh good, she's finally on her son's side now," Angelina smiled.

"And it'll make this battle an even better one." Jeremy added.

Timmy then orders Dusclops to use Will-o-Wisp. It does so, but Skitty uses Assist to get an Ember. The attack blows through the Will-o-Wisp and causes Timmy's bar to drop again. Skitty then gets a Silver Wind with Assist, but Dusclops counters with Psychic. Both trainers bars are now almost even with 30 seconds to go.

Timmy decides to go with Hyper Beam, and to everyone's shock, May chooses a Blizzard. Skitty launches the attack and it blows right through the Hyper Beam, smashes into Dusclops, and sends it flying. It crashes to the ground and the time runs out.

"Time is up! And the victory goes to May and her Skitty!" Vivian declared.

"That was an awesome battle!" Christina exclaimed.

"Really good." Angelina agreed.

"May actually beat the Phantom." Drew said, then he smirks and flicks his hair. "Shows how luck plays a part in any battle."

"We now award May and her Skitty the prized Verdanturf ribbon. The Verdanturf contest comes to a close. Congratulations May!" Vivian announced, the crowd applauded as May was handed an orange ribbon.

Angelina and friends have observed that by putting trust in Pokemon, May has come out on top in perhaps the most fierce competition so far. In the process, they've also witnessed that May has made another giant leap as a Pokemon Co-ordinator by earning her second ribbon.

**§To Be Continued§**

I taped both these episodes, and just watching them again so I could type this chapter was fun, and I got to twist in my ideas, too! Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon!


	33. Littleroot Return

Thanks for the reviews, guys! Here's the next chapter, not based on an episode! You know my disclaimer! Enjoy!

**Chapter 33: Littleroot Return**

"What's so important in Littleroot Town?" Angelina asked, still carrying her egg. She walked with Jeremy and Christina while Chocolate walked along side them.

"You'll see," Jeremy said, grinning.

The crisp afternoon spring air was upon out our heroes as they travel toward Littleroot Town instead of Petalburg City for Angelina's fifth gym badge. Drew had once again left the group to compete in more Pokemon contests, but there's bound to be an adventure and excitement awaiting the others today.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

After a quick stop at Oldale Town's Pokemon Center, Littleroot Town was a relatively short walk for Angelina's gang; and before long, they arrived at the town with a few homes dotted here and there, standing in front of a two-story red brick house with a blue roof.

"You'll thank me for this," Jeremy said, knocking on the front door while the girls looked confused.

"Just a second!" a woman's voice answered, the door was opened a few seconds later, and the trio were greeted by a woman with grayish blue curly hair pulled back in a bun and blue-green eyes wearing a blue sweater and a dusty rose skirt. "My goodness! Jeremy dear, is that you?" she happily hugged the boy. "Oh it's been such a long time. You've grown so much!"

"Missed you too, Aunt Lauren," Jeremy said, then nodded to the girls. "These two are my friends, Angelina Murakami and her little sister Christina. We're on a journey so Angelina can compete in the Hoenn League Championships, but thought we'd drop by for a while since we're in the area."

"Nice to meet you girls," the woman said, smiling brightly. "I'm Mrs. Birch, call me Lauren."

The girls and Jeremy entered the house and were met by a smell of something cooking. They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table while Lauren went over to the stove.

"You're just in time for dinner too. Though I guess I should put more spaghetti on now that you're here!" Lauren said, reaching for a package of dry spaghetti and emptying it into the pot of boiling water.

"Our favorite!" Angelina and Christina cried excitedly.

Jeremy laughed, "Mine too."

"Yes, I know.… you always used to love pasta every time you came to visit, Jeremy," Lauren replied. "I usually have to make a lot of it because you tend to go back for seconds, and thirds, and fourths..."

Jeremy blushed slightly in embarrassment while his friends giggled. He usually overate when it came to pasta.

"So how're you related to the Birch family?" Angelina asked curiously.

"Well you know I'm related to April through Temacu since her father is my uncle," Jeremy explained. "But April's mother also has a sister who lives all the way here in Hoenn with her husband Professor Birch and their son Brendan."

"What brings you all to Hoenn?" Lauren asked, stirring the pasta sauce in another pot.

"We're here for a little while since I want Uncle John to look over Angelina's egg. She got it back in Lavaridge Town after earning her fourth badge." Jeremy said while Angelina held up her egg for Lauren to see.

"Oh my, you could make a pretty big omelet with that…." Lauren said, looking at the egg.

Angelina gasped, "I hope you're not being serious," she clutched the egg close to her

protectively.

"Now I'd never do that, sweetie!" Lauren replied, smiling sweetly. She went back to attending the food, lifting the lid on a second pot filled with tomato sauce and meatballs and adding a bit of seasoning to it.

"When are we going to see Professor Birch?" Christina asked.

"Now if its okay with everyone," Jeremy said, which he got nods from the others. "Great, let's go!" they exited the kitchen.

"Please be back for dinner!" Lauren called to the group just as the front door closed shut.

The gang now made their way through the woods and up a hill leading toward a huge white building with a wooden sign that said _**'Professor Birch's Pokemon Laboratory'**_. They walked up to the giant wooden doors of the building and Jeremy pushed one of the doors in, opening it to the inside of the building as the others followed him. Inside, the brown tile floor glistened with the white walls, showing how clean the center was. There were many bookshelves, containing books, notebooks, journals, and strange objects.

"Hey Uncle John!" Jeremy called out, "You in here?"

"Well now, isn't this a surprise!" a voice laughed back. Standing next to a lab table with a backpack sitting on it was a tall man with brown hair and beard, wearing tan shorts, sandals, and a navy shirt with a lab coat over it. "I was just about to head out to do some field work, what brings you here?"

"I decided to travel Hoenn for a while, and why not with a couple of my friends." Jeremy grinned, while the girls stood behind him smiling and waving.

"Hi Professor, I'm Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town."

"And I'm her sister, Christina."

"Pika, pikachu!" Chocolate waved.

"Pallet Town, eh? Then you know Ash Ketchum?" Professor Birch asked.

"Yep, our brother." Angelina and Christina said in unison.

Professor Birch chuckled, "Well that's nice. So is there anything you need?"

"Actually…." Angelina stepped forward, holding out her egg to Professor Birch. "I was wondering if you'd have any idea what Pokemon might be in this?"

Professor Birch scratched his head and looked over the Pokemon egg Angelina was carrying. He then turned to the desk behind him and opened a drawer, pulling out a stethoscope. He put the ends of the headpieces in his ear, and held the other end against the shell of the egg. He could hear something breathing inside, but that was it. He dropped his stethoscope, letting it fall against his chest, and took the ear-pieces out and put them around his neck. He stood up and folded his arms across his chest, staring at the egg.

"I'm not sure what to tell you, Angelina.… I'm not much of an expert on Pokemon eggs, so I have no idea what Pokemon would lay an egg that looks like that. It sounded like there was something alive inside it though, so it might hatch soon."

"Really? Its been moving around on its own a bit lately too…." Angelina put her head up to the egg and tapped it, and she heard whatever was inside squeak. "Hey! I think I heard something!" she said excitedly.

Professor Birch put the stethoscope back in his ears and put it up to the egg again. He tapped the egg and heard the squeaking too, but he didn't recognize the sounds it was making.

"Its making noises too.… it must be just about ready to try to break out." Professor Birch said as he removed the stethoscope again. "You'll have to show me what it is when it hatches." He continued.

"I will, Professor Birch!" Angelina said, now holding her egg.

"Great! Now if that's all you needed, I have field research to do." Professor Birch said to the group, taking off his stethoscope and putting it back in the drawer.

"So you won't be around for dinner, Uncle John?" Jeremy asked.

"Not tonight, and your aunt already knows."

"Thanks again, Professor!"

"Your quite welcome, Angelina. Come back anytime."

The gang turned and left the lab, leaving Professor Birch to prepare to go out in the field.

"I can't believe it! My egg is almost ready to hatch! It might even hatch today!" Angelina said, walking happily with her friends through the town.

"So can we leave for Petalburg City?" Christina asked, which reminded Angelina she has yet to earn her fifth badge.

"How about a practice battle first?" A new voice asked. The gang turned and saw a young boy around Drew's age with bleach-white hair, glittering brown eyes, and was holding a Pokeball. He wore a black bandana with a red Pokeball mark on the rim, a yellow collared, red and black shirt, black and yellow pants, and running shoes.

"Who's that?" Angelina asked.

"That's my cousin, Brendan." Jeremy informed, scowling at the young white-haired boy.

"He can be quite the trickster, especially when it comes to battling."

"Hey Jerry, long time no see." Brendan said. "What brings you back to Hoenn so soon?"

"You should know my family lives out in LaRousse City, so I'm visiting, it's not like you haven't."

"I knew that, but I'm visiting home as well," Brendan said, covering up his embarrassment. "And I heard from Mom that you were traveling out here with your girlfriend."

Angelina rolled here eyes and sighed, "Sorry, I'm not Jeremy's girlfriend. The names' Angelina Murakami, Kanto's League Champion. And if you want a battle, then you've got it!" she smirked, handing her egg to Christina.

"All right then," Brendan grinned. "How does a one-on-one sound?"

"That's fine by me!" Angelina said, pulling out a Pokeball and pressed a button on the front. "Let's go, Shadow!" she threw it and her Absol appeared in a flash of white light.

"Marshtomp, go!" Brendan pressed the button on the front of the Pokeball he was holding, thrusting his arm forward as he did. The Pokeball opened up and a red beam shot out towards the ground, and Marshtomp appeared standing on its hind legs in front of Brendan. "Use Water Gun!"

Marshtomp opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of water at Shadow, whom winced as the stream of water struck it, but shook off the attack and held its ground.

"Move to the side and use Flamethrower!" Angelina commanded.

Shadow did a flip to get out of the way of the Water Gun attack, moving beside the stream of water, and released a blast of flames from its mouth towards Marshtomp. The flames engulfed the water Pokemon, and it immediately let up on its Water Gun attack. Despite being a water type, Marshtomp looked like it was hurting quite a bit.

"Good! Now charge at it and use Slash!"

Shadow closed its mouth, and the flames soon disappeared, revealing a pretty badly burned Marshtomp. It raised its claws back and ran towards Marshtomp to attack it.

"Marshtomp, block it with a Mud Shot!"

Brendan's Marshtomp turned to the oncoming Absol and spat a blast of mud from its mouth. The mud struck Shadow in the chest, and the force of the impact knocked it off its feet. Shadow tried to get back up, but slipped and fell on the mud that was on the ground, landing on its side. The mud made it hard to walk and the mud clinging to him was weighing him down as well.

"Shadow, aim a Flamethrower at the ground!"

Shadow opened its mouth and released another Flamethrower attack, striking the ground exactly in the middle between it and Marshstomp, and the resulting flames created a large radius of fire. The heat from the flames was hurting both Pokemon and heating the mud until it was solid dirt. As soon as the mud was dried, Shadow jumped back out of the flames and aimed its Flamethrower towards Marshtomp alone.

"Now use Iron Tail!"

Shadow once again stopped its attack as its tail glowed, but this time there was very little distance between it and Marshtomp. As soon as Marshtomp was freed from the flames it was met by a powerful strike to the chest from Shadow's tail, sending it sprawling to the ground unconscious.

"I'll admit for a league champion, you're good." Brendan commented as he recalled his Marshtomp.

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself!" Angelina smiled, also recalling her Absol. She then turned to Christina, whom was told to watch her egg, but was holding Chocolate instead.

"My egg's gone!" she cried, looking around frantically for where it could have gone.

"Gone? Thought you told Christina to watch it?" Jeremy asked.

"I did, but then I couldn't hold Chocolate and the egg at the same time." Christina explained. "I left it on the ground beside me."

"Unless it hatched, it couldn't have gotten far..." Jeremy said, looking around as well.

"What was in it anyway?" Brendan asked.

"My Pokemon egg, I have to find it! Professor Birch said it might be hatching soon!" Angelina said before running off with her friends in search of her egg, leaving Brendan behind.

"Hey! Wait up! I'll help you look for it!" Brendan called after her. He caught up to the group behind someone's house, staring at something with a look of shock in their eyes and their mouths hanging open.

Brendan followed their gaze, and couldn't believe what he was seeing either. They had found Angelina's egg repeatedly rolling into a tree in someone's yard. "What.… the.… heck?"

Everyone watched in confusion as the egg repeatedly rolled back, then rolled forward into the tree. The egg had a few cracks on it where it was hitting the tree, and the cracks were getting larger after each hit.

"Is it.… trying to hatch?" Christina asked.

"I think it is.…" Jeremy said to her. "But I've never seen a Pokemon hatching like that before…"

The five of them watched the egg smash into the tree over and over, cracking more each time, until finally the egg shattered and revealed the baby Pokemon that had been inside. The Pokemon was the same color blue as the egg that it had just broken out of, and it had a black tail that seemed to match the black spot that was on the egg. It had a large mouth, two eyes that looked like triangular slits, and flaps on each side of its head that hung down to the ground.

"So is that your kid?" Brendan jokingly asked. Angelina punched him in the shoulder then ran over to make sure the baby Pokemon was all right. The Pokemon watched as she approached it, curious about the strange creature.

Angelina kneeled in front of the Pokemon and smiled. "Hey there, little guy!" she said softly to it. The Pokemon stared at her, a curious expression on its face, then ran over to her and hugged her leg with the arm-like flaps hanging from its head. Angelina smiled and picked up the Pokemon.

"Now what kind of Pokemon might you be.…" Angelina stood up and held the baby Pokemon close to her with one hand, and tickled its stomach with the other. The Pokemon seemed to be giggling as Angelina did this.

"I wonder if Professor Birch knows what you are…." Angelina looked to Jeremy, who was standing behind her and watching with the others. "Any idea where your uncle is?" She asked him.

Jeremy was about to speak, but Brendan interrupted, "I could probably find him if you want, though if you ask me your Pokemon there kinda reminds me of a Wobbuffet. Could be some kind of baby Wobbuffet."

"Oh?" Angelina looked down at the giggling Pokemon in her arms. She's seen Wobbuffet before from the many times she's been encountered with Team Rocket. "Well Professor Birch wanted to see it when it hatched anyway.…"

Brendan gave a nod. "I'll go find him then. Wait for us at the lab."

Angelina nodded, and Brendan went off to find his father. The gang made their way back to Professor Birch's Lab to wait for them, with Chocolate now on Jeremy's shoulder while Angelina carried the baby Pokemon.

The gang watched the baby Pokemon as it wandered around Birch's lab, curiously examining the various devices and other objects within the lab. Angelina told Chocolate to keep a close eye on it to make sure it didn't get into any trouble, but the Pokemon was mostly just exploring and not getting into any trouble. While they were watching it,

Angelina decided to take out her Pokedex and see if it had any info.

'_**Wynaut, the Bright Pokemon.'**_ Dexette read. _**'A Wynaut loves to eat sweet fruits. It cleverly picks fruits using its ear-like arms. They gather in fruit gardens, drawn by the fragrance.' **_

Angelina looked from the Pokedex to the baby Wynaut. "So you're a Wynaut..." she said to the curious little Pokemon. The Wynaut looked at her as she said its name.

"I have to say, I've never actually seen a Wynaut before." Professor Birch said as he entered the lab, carrying the supplies he took with him for his fieldwork.

"Hey there, Professor Birch!" Angelina picked up Wynaut and held it so it was facing the professor. "Wynaut, say hi to the professor!" Wynaut flapped its arms up and down and gave a little cry in greeting while Professor Birch leaned forward to examine it.

"Brendan's not with you?" Jeremy asked his uncle, finally noticing that Brendan didn't arrive.

"Brendan left for Fortree already, he only stopped by because he heard that you and Jeremy were here." Professor Birch straightened up and set his equipment down on a nearby table. "You know, no one has ever seen a Wynaut in the wild. People have studied Wynaut that hatched from a Wobbuffet's egg, but never in the wild. Its rumored that there's an island somewhere where wild Wynaut live, but no one's ever been there before. This is the first time I've seen a Wynaut in person..." he opened a drawer and pulled out a small syringe, then turned to Angelina. "Would you mind if I took a small blood sample?"

Angelina looked down at the Wynaut in her arms. "I guess not.… the needle won't hurt it, would it?"

"It won't feel a thing."

Angelina nodded, and put Wynaut down on the table Professor Birch's gear was on. Wynaut turned around to look at Angelina with a big smile on its face. Angelina wondered if Wynaut could ever be upset. Professor Birch attached a needle to the end of the syringe, and took a small blood sample from one of Wynaut's arms. Wynaut didn't even seem to notice the needle being put into it, and seemed far more interested in Angelina.

"There we go." Professor Birch took the needle over to a small metal box and placed it inside. "Now that I have its DNA sample, I can try to find out where that Wynaut came from." he turned to look at Angelina, still standing near the box. "I'd like to study it more, but it seems to be attached to you and I'm not one to separate a baby from its mother." he said with a grin.

"Mother!" Angelina looked at the Wynaut, then back at Professor Birch. "Are you saying this Wynaut thinks I'm its mother?"

"Well you were the first thing it saw after hatching, right?" Professor Birch asked her.

Angelina thought back to when Wynaut hatched earlier. Aside from her friends, she was the first to approach it just after it hatched. "Yeah, I guess I was.…" She finally said.

"Some baby Pokemon have been known to become attached to the first living thing they see after hatching. Though to a baby Pokemon, sometimes various machines seem alive as well." Professor Birch said to her.

"Angelina should be use to this," Jeremy said matter-of-factly. "On her first journey through Johto, she took care of her first two Pokemon eggs: her Absol and then a Pichu that's now a fully evolved Raichu. Then during her brother's first journey in Kanto, her Raichu had an egg, whom is now Chocolate."

"So I guess you think I'm your mother then?" Angelina said to the baby Wynaut. She picked it up off the table and placed it on the floor. Wynaut looked around the lab again, but didn't leave Angelina's side this time. "Think it'd be okay if I didn't put Wynaut in a Pokeball, Professor Birch?"

"It might be best you didn't, actually." Professor Birch replied. "Not for a while anyway. Since its only a baby, you should give it a chance to get used to being with a trainer first and maybe get to know the rest of your Pokemon."

"I'll just let him follow me around for a while then." Angelina bent down to Wynaut's height. "You'd like that, wouldn't you…. Wonka?"

Wynaut hopped up and down happily, though it didn't really know what either Angelina or Professor Birch were even talking to.

Angelina stood up and looked to Professor Birch. "Thanks for everything, Professor Birch."

"You're quite welcome, Angelina! And thank you for helping me with my research."

"You're welcome, bye Professor Birch!" Angelina left the lab with her friends, and Wonka followed her as fast as its little legs would carry it.

Angelina and friends arrived back at the Birch's house by the time dinner was ready, they and Lauren sat at the table while the Pokemon sat underneath the table; Chocolate ate a small bowl of Poke-Chow and Wonka ate some berries that Angelina had bought for it. There were two pots on the table, one was filled with tomato sauce and meatballs, the other with spaghetti. After filling their plates, everyone started eating.

Christina and Lauren started into their spaghetti, but Angelina found herself distracted by Jeremy's eating however. Before she could even take a bite of one of her meatballs, Jeremy was gobbling down his spaghetti like it would vanish.

"Does he…. always…. eat like that?" Angelina asked Jeremy's aunt.

"Only when I make pasta," Lauren replied, who wasn't paying attention to Jeremy.

"Wow, where have I been all this time…." Angelina said, still to preoccupied watching her best friend eat.

Jeremy quickly finished his plate of spaghetti, then grabbed another heaping plate full of spaghetti and shoveled it into his mouth. He quickly finished that plateful of spaghetti, and grabbed yet another, emptying the pot. By the time Jeremy had finished his third helping, his aunt and Christina had finally finished as well, and Angelina had yet to start.

"That was good, Aunt Laruen..." Jeremy said, sighing happily as he lied back in his seat.

"I'm glad you liked it, dear." Lauren replied. "Angelina, aren't you going to eat?"

Angelina snapped out of her daze. "Oh, sorry, yeah. Kinda got distracted.… I've never seen anyone eat like that.…" she then finally started to slowly eat her meal, enjoying every bite.

"I guess I'm just gifted!" Jeremy said. Angelina nearly choked on a mouthful of spaghetti while Christina and Aunt Lauren laughed.

**§To Be Continued§**

I've only seen a glimpse of what the male trainer from Hoenn looks like in the anime, but I know in the games that Professor Birch is Brendan's father, so I came up with the idea that Jeremy is related to them through April's mother! And, the egg that Angelina was carrying around finally hatches into a Wynaut! Yay! So thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon!


	34. Normal As Norman Gets

Still not done with this story and I have fifty reviews so far, I must be doing a great job (smiles)! Thanks! Here's the next chapter, non-episode based! You know my disclaimer! Enjoy!

**Chapter 34: Normal As Norman Gets**

Angelina and her friends were awake the next morning and ate a hearty breakfast before saying their good-byes to Lauren and Harrison; they wasted no time in getting to Petalburg City, not even to stop for a break in Oldale. Wonka was being carried inside Angelina's single-strap pack so it wouldn't be trying to keep up with her all the time. Chocolate was comfortable with her perch on Angelina's left shoulder.

Upon arrival in Petalburg City, they immediately went to the Pokemon Center so Angelina could make some temporary changes to her team. While she usually didn't really concern herself with how strong her Pokemon were, today she wanted to make sure she had some of her best Pokemon with her for her battle with May and Max's father.

Angelina switched her Milotic and Swablu for Charcoal (Charizard) and Spritz (Azumarill). While Spritz wasn't one of her strongest Pokemon, it had a large variety of techniques at its disposal. Her Azumarill does have a lot of battle experience, so Angelina felt she could make good use of her attacks. Although she had recently captured Swablu up in Fallarbor Town during the time her Taillow evolved into a Swellow, she decided to use her Charizard since she knew it had different techniques at its disposal.

"It's been a while since I challenged a gym leader, and the same for Ash, too," Angelina said, looking over her shoulder at Wonka. "By now, May probably told her father all about me, but I'm going to show both of them who the better trainer is!"

Wonka gave a happy cry, bouncing up and down in Angelina's backpack. It had no idea what she was talking about, but it could hear the excitement in Angelina's voice, and that made it very happy.

With her team set to challenge her father, Angelina and her friends left the Petalburg Pokemon Center for Norman's gym. She walked through the streets of Petalburg with a determined expression on her face.

Jeremy didn't even bother to give Angelina advice; they had previously research information on the Petalburg Gym Leader. Norman used Normal-type Pokemon, his two strongest were Vigoroth and Slaking. Angelina knew what she was doing as she suggested switching some of her Pokemon when arriving at the Pokemon Center.

Though Angelina didn't notice before, Petalburg was similar to her hometown of Pallet as she and her friends walked. Sure the buildings were different, as they were made of stone, but a pleasant trace of natura was spread about the place. Small shimmering lakes, lush gardens full of different colored flowers, and the grass and dirt spread as it willed.

It wasn't long before Angelina and friends were standing outside the dojo-like building that was the Petalburg Gym.

'_**This is it,'**_ Angelina told herself. _**'Feels kinda odd…. First time I meet a friend's dad…. And I have to battle him for a badge. There's no way I'm turning back now.'**_ She climbed up the stone steps with her friends behind her, then pushed the door opened and entered the gym.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

Immediately upon entering the gym, they found a dojo-like battlefield stretched out before they. What seemed to be a wooden floor, with white markings to signify the battlefield. At the other side of the battlefield stood May and Max's father, Norman. He was tall and middle-aged with dark blue hair slicked back and not a strand out of place, he was also clad in a red jacket and gray pants.

"Welcome, challenger, to the Petalburg Gym." Norman stated from the other side of the room. "I am Norman, and it looks like we will be doing battle. I take it you wish to earn a Balance badge?"

Angelina stepped forward, "I'm Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town, and I'm also Kanto's league Champion." she said back to him.

"A league champion, you say? It must be nice going off on your own and making a name for yourself. You're also from Pallet Town? Do you know Ash Ketchum?" Norman asked.

"Yes. He's my brother," Angelina replied, her friends and Chocolate sat on a bench on the sidelines. "I didn't know if he arrived to challenge you before I got a chance to beat you."

"And what makes you think you'll beat me?" Norman smirked slightly.

"I know I'll beat you!" Angelina shot back, grabbing a Pokeball and holding it out in front of her. "I made sure I'd be ready for this match, so you better be ready to lose!"

"Then I'm sure he and my children will no doubt want to know how this battle goes..."

Norman said, a smirk forming on his lips as he reached for a Pokeball attached to his belt.

"Wouldn't doubt it..." Angelina replied.

Norman brought the Pokeball forward and released his first Pokemon. Angelina pressed the button on the Pokeball she was holding up and did the same.

"Vigoroth, go!" Norman shouted as the Pokeball opened, releasing a very large bipedal sloth covered in white fur and wicked claws. There were a few red markings on his face, as well. Unlike Slakoth, its evolved form was far more energetic before it evolved again into the lazy Slaking.

"Spritz, go!" Angelina called out her Azumarill to fight first. The aqua-rabbit Pokemon was standing about in the middle of the battlefield, and turned to face her challenger.

Angelina's Wynaut peered over her shoulder to watch the upcoming battle.

"This will be a two-on-two battle with no time limit. The gym leader may not switch

Pokemon, however, this privilege is allowed by the challenger." the referee informed, a young green-haired boy named Kenny wearing a blue karate-like outfit. "Let the battle begin!"

"Spritz, use Rollout!"

Spritz curled up into a ball and rolled towards Vigoroth, knocking it to the side as she rolled towards the other side of the battlefield, then started to turn around to come back

for another attack.

"Vigoroth, get ready with a Dynamic Punch!"

Vigoroth turned to face the approaching Spritz and drew its fist back, building up power for its attack. Spritz continued to roll towards Vigoroth, picking up speed, unaware of Vigoroth's attack.

As Spritz got closer, Vigoroth quickly brought its fist forward, slamming it into the rolling Pokemon with an explosive impact and sending her crashing into the far wall of the gym. Spritz was pretty dazed when she got back up and staggered back into the battlefield.

"Now hit it with another!"

Vigoroth charged towards the dazed Spritz, its fist raised back for another Dynamic Punch.

"Spritz.… spin and use Bubblebeam!"

Spritz started to spin around, not really having a clue as to what she was doing at the moment, and started spewing a steady stream of bubbles in all directions.

Vigoroth staggered a few times when the bubbles hit it, but the attack didn't prevent it from getting past Spritz and hitting her with another Dynamic Punch from behind, the force of the punch sending Spritz flying to the other side of the battlefield and landing on the floor. She struggled to get back on her feet, and was still dazed from the attacks.

"Spritz, Ice Beam!"

"Vigoroth, Endure it and use Fury Swipes!"

Spritz turned around, looking a bit out of it as she tried to focus on where Vigoroth was, meanwhile Vigoroth used Endure and braced itself for the attack. Spritz managed to snap out of her daze, and fired an Ice Beam towards Vigoroth. The beam struck it, encasing it in ice, which then shattered around it. Vigoroth was able to hang in there courtesy of Endure, but just barely. It then charged towards Spritz, ready to slash at her with its claws.

"Spritz, try to hit it with a Bubblebeam before it gets you!"

Spritz released a stream of bubbles towards Vigoroth, but Vigoroth managed to maintain its focus as it ran through the bubbles and slashed Spritz across the chest, knocking the water Pokemon out. Vigoroth then collapsed as well, having used up the last of its strength to deliver that final attack.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" Kenny declared.

Angelina and Norman both recalled their fallen Pokemon, then stared at each other from across the gym.

"It seems we're down to our last Pokemon," Angelina said.

"Not many trainers actually get this far." Norman replied. "Of course, I always save the best for last anyway. I congratulate you for making it this far, though."

Both trainers reached for another Pokeball, each feeling the tension of the moment. Norman was down to his last Pokemon while Angelina could choose one of the four Pokemon on her team, except her Wynaut.

"Shadow, GO!" "Go, Slaking!" Angelina and Norman simultaneously released their Pokemon.

On Norman's side of the field, his Slaking appeared lying on its side. It was a very large ape-like Pokemon with brown fur and what looked like a white beard and hair. It was also a very lazy Pokemon. Wonka seemed to think it was pretty funny and started laughing while hopping from side to side.

On Angelina's side of the field, the dark-type Disaster Pokemon Absol appeared and looked more than ready for a fight.

"Slaking, use Scratch!"

Slaking came at Shadow with claws extended.

"Shadow, dodge!"

Shadow bounded out of the way of Scratch.

"Now Shadow, use Slash!"

Shadow's claws extended and slashed at Slaking.

"Slaking, use Brick Break!"

Slaking came at Shadow with its palms flat, as if it was using a karate move in order to break a wall.

"Shadow, use Double Team!"

Shadow created illusions of itself and surrounded Slaking, while Slaking hit only an Absol illusion with the fighting attack.

"Now Shadow, use Bite!"

The real Absol jumped onto Slaking's back and bit it on the arm.

"Slaking, use Body Slam!"

Slaking fell over on its back, with Shadow still on it.

"Shadow, get off!" Angelina cried out.

It was too late. Slaking was able to slam Shadow into the ground, causing paralysis to the dark-type Pokemon. Slaking got off and staggered to its side of the field. Angelina's eyes filled with worry at her Pokemon, whom was still lying on the ground.

"Shadow! Are you all right?"

Shadow, in a slow/weak way, found the strength to shake off the paralysis and stand to its feet.

"Shadow," Angelina said softly.

Shadow stood, facing Slaking. Then it turned to Angelina and nodded to her.

Angelina nodded back and said, "Shadow, use Water Pulse!"

Shadow's sickle glowed a pale blue. It then swung down and three rings of water slammed into Slaking, causing confusion.

"Don't give in Slaking, use Focus Punch!"

Slaking came down at Shadow with a glowing fist, hoping to finish it off.

"Shadow, use Rock Smash!"

Shadow opened its mouth and a starburst shot out of its mouth, hitting Slaking and causing a critical hit. Slaking flinched at the attack.

"Shadow, Shock Wave!"

Shadow's sickle sparked up in electricity, and he flung his head forward. A moving pillar of electricity flew forth from the blade and electrocuted Slaking, and it fell unconscious.

"Slaking is unable to battle!" Kenny announced. "Absol is the winner. The victory goes to Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town!"

Angelina jumped into the air, yelling in a fit of happiness. "Shadow, we did it!" she ran across the gym just as Shadow jumped into her arms. They both collapsed to the ground and Shadow gently licked Angelina's face.

Jeremy and Christina ran toward Angelina, congratulating her on a well done battle.

Norman's head hung low, "I can't believe I lost," he said, recalling his Slaking and then walked over to Angelina, whom by now introduced her Wynaut to Absol.

"Congratulations, Angelina. That was a spectacular battle." He reached into his pocket and held out a golden badge with a bar and two arrows on the side. "Here, I present you with the Balance Badge."

Angelina stood up, taking the badge and stared at her new prize. "Thank you, Norman. You were great yourself." She gave a final pat to her Absol and then recalled it back to the Pokeball. She then placed the Balance Badge into her badge case. "Now I only need three more…." She turned to Wonka (in her single-strap pack) and Chocolate (on Jeremy's shoulder). "We're past the halfway point now! Five gyms down, three to go!"

Chocolate squeaked happily upon hearing the news, and Wonka clapped its earlike arms together which seemed to cause a burst of applause to echo throughout the gym as if it used Encore.

"Well I guess we know one of your attacks now, Wonka!" Angelina said to it. Wonka kept clapping, and the applause kept coming as if it was applauding Angelina's progress, everyone laughed.

"So, where do you plan on going now?" Norman asked.

Angelina thought for a moment on this. She hadn't really thought about her next destination, as she was mainly fixated on defeating Norman for her fifth badge.

"Don't know, eh? Well, then I suggest you head up to Fortree City, there you can challenge Winona at her gym." Norman advised.

"All right, thanks Norman. I'll do just that." Angelina agreed.

Now that Angelina has earned her fifth badge, the gang bids farewell to Norman and walked out of the gym, heading back to the Pokemon Center for some last-minute preparations before setting off once again toward another adventure.

**§To Be Continued§**

I laughed when I came up with the title for this chapter, wanted it to be different from the episode title. So Angelina finally meets May and Max's father and then earns her fifth badge! Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon!


	35. Familiar Travels

Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter! You know my disclaimer! Enjoy!

**Chapter 35: Familiar Travels**

Angelina and friends stayed around Petalburg City since knowing that Ash would be arriving soon to challenge Norman for his fifth badge.

They headed up to Petalburg Woods, walking down the path until they spotted Brie about fifty feet away. The young girl was battling a wild Pokemon that they had seen before, it was a Skitty.

"Claydol, use Psybeam!" Brie yelled, she was commanding another Pokemon that Angelina had never seen. She guessed it was the evolved form of Brie's Baltoy, however from it's appearance. It was all black, except for somewhat circles on its body. Its arms were short and bulb-like, and its head was very large, with many red eyes surrounding it. From these eyes, Claydol shot out rings of colorful light that crashed into the small cat Pokemon, knocking it out. Brie threw a Pokeball at it, and caught it.

"Good work, Brie!"

Brie jumped and turned around in surprise. "Oh, hi Angelina!" she said, smiling as the trio approached her. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, how about you?"

"Great! I just caught my sixth Pokemon, Skitty!" Brie said happily. "You still have your six Pokemon?"

"Well actually, I've changed around my team," Angelina said, remembering last time how Brie had less Pokemon than her.

"I have three badges as well. I beat Watson, Brawly, and Norman." Brie said excitedly.

"How about you?"

"I beat Watson, Brawly, Roxanne, Flannery, and Norman," Angelina said. "Now I'm heading to Fortree City."

"Oh, so you've already been to Rustburo City," Brie nodded. "Well, I have yet to battle Roxanne. Goodbye for now, nice seeing you again!" she waved, departing down the road.

"Later Brie!" Angelina and others waved.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

They finally entered the forest, no sooner had they found Ash and friends face-to-face with a familiar guy with black hair and dark blue eyes wearing a white sleeveless shirt and black jeans. Angelina gasped, but then turned into an irritated look, she hoped to never see this guy again. This left Jeremy and Christina to watch confusedly.

"Well, if it isn't the one who took my Charmander from me," the guy said.

"Damien," Ash spat in a disgusted tone.

"What are you doing here?" Brock asked in the same tone as Ash.

"Uh, pardon my intrusion. But who exactly is this guy?" May asked.

"If you ask me, you wouldn't wanna know," Angelina said, approached her brother's friends. "That's Damien."

"And hello to you too, beautiful," Damien smirked, eyeing up the young girl, who glared back disgustedly.

_**1234(FLASHBACK)5678**_

_**Three years ago  
Kanto Region**_

_**Thirteen-year-old Angelina sat on a chair reading a book while the rain poured outside the Pokemon Center. She wore a pastel-purple tank top, a dark-blue jean mini-skirt with brown two-inch heeled sandals, and her hair was up in a ponytail. She was so caught up in the book that it was suddenly snatched away.**_

"_**Hey!" Angelina glared up at Damien. "Give that back!"**_

"_**Why?" Damien smirked. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't waste their time by sticking their nose in a pointless book."**_

_**Angelina clenched her fists, standing up furiously and was only an inch shorter than him. "I don't think you heard me, I'd like my book back…. PLEASE."**_

"_**All right," Damien said, holding out the book.**_

_**Angelina reached out her hand, but Damien quickly pulled the book back and threw it over his shoulder.**_

"_**My book!" Angelina gasped, about to retrieve her fallen possession. She was grabbed around the waist, and pulled back.**_

"_**How bout a kiss?" Damien whispered hotly in her ear. **_

"_**No, stop!" Angelina struggled in his grasp. "Let me go!"**_

"_**Damien, what are you doing?"**_

_**Damien looked up and saw a group of guys enter the Pokemon Center. He pushed Angelina to the ground and walked over to them.**_

_**Angelina sighed in relief, but also glared at the guy before grabbing her book and standing up, then she walked back to the chair and resumed reading.**_

_**1234(END FLASHBACK)5678**_

"My opinion, books shouldn't be your type, babe," Damien said, ignoring the glares he got from everyone. "I'd rather be an option or atleast have a kiss."

Everyone gasped, but Angelina was thoroughly outraged as she was about to lunge at Damien if it wasn't for Jeremy holding her back.

"But hey," Damien waved off. "I really didn't come here to insult ya, only the guy who took my Charmander."

"I didn't take your Charmander away from you. He decided that he didn't want to be with

you anymore." Ash said.

"What do you mean, Ash?" Max asked.

"Damien left his Charmander all alone on a rock in the forest, promising to return for it. It believed him and waited. Misty, Ash and I were in the Pokemon Center hoping that Charmander was picked up." Brock responded.

"But then they, and including myself, heard Damien say how weak it was and that he had no remorse for leaving it out there. The bad thing was that a storm raged and since I couldn't help, they went out and rescued the Charmander, which made a fully recovery back at the Pokemon Center." Angelina added. "But it wanted to return to the rock to wait for Damien. I tried to tell it about Damien's intentions, but it just continued to the spot where it waited, so I followed and we found Team Rocket up to no good again, planning a pitfall trap for my brother and his two friends. They fell in, and Pikachu had been taken, but Charmander came to their rescue."

"Damien must've seen what happened and tried to win Charmander back over. But we got Damien to tell it his true motive. When Damien threw the Pokeball to return Charmander, it hit it back in Damien's face." Brock continued. "Damien got mad and threatened to pit all his Pokemon against Charmander, but Charmander flamed him, and Pikachu helped out too. Damien then ran off, crying for his mother."

"Charmander decided to be my Pokemon. I've treated him better than you have," Ash said.

"How could you train something that weak?" Damien asked.

"Two things Damien. One, Charmander wasn't weak. You didn't take the time to train him," Brock started.

"Two, he's no longer a Charmander," Ash finished.

"How could you make that weak Charmander evolve? Let me see it now," Damien demanded.

"What? Now?" Ash asked nervously. He didn't even have Charizard since it was back at the Charicific Valley in the Johto Region.

Angelina sighed, thinking quickly and then she snapped her fingers with a brilliant smile. "Hey Damien, as Kanto's League Champion, I'd like to challenge you three on three, and don't think I'll be easy because normally I'm not this nice."

"All right, babe, I accept," Damien smirked.

Angelina knew she didn't need a referee for the match because Jeremy and Brock would step in if Damien made a wrong move. Ash and May stood with Max and Christina on the sidelines.

"Go, Ivysaur!" Damien shouted loudly, and the flowery grass Pokemon appeared in front of him, crying, "Ivy!"

"This ought to be quick," Angelina said confidently as she grabbed a Pokeball from her belt. "Spritz, I choose you!"

"Azumarill!" the aqua-rabbit Pokemon squeaked.

"Wow babe, I should be around more often if you're gonna be this easy!" Damien yelled over to Angelina. "Ivysaur, Razor Leaf! Slice that Azumarill to bits!"

"Ivy!" the Ivysaur cried happily as it summoned razor-sharp leaves to propel at the de-fending Azumarill.

"Spritz, Defense Curl and then prepare to launch your Ice Beam after the leaves hit you!" Angelina advised her Pokemon, so Azumarill curled up into a tight ball and let the Razor Leaf attack hit, only slightly dam-aging it despite its weakness to the grass element. Upon feeling the impact of the attack, Azumarill uncurled herself and lauched a beam of solid ice, which froze the Ivysaur promptly and caused Damien to grunt in frustration.

"Ooh, I'll show you! Return, Ivysaur!"

A thin beam of red light shot out from the Pokeball Damien held, which sucked the frozen plant Pokemon back into its sanctuary.

"Electabuzz, take this Azumarill to school!"

The ape-like electric Pokemon pounded its chest in approval and immediately started to launch its Thunder Punch attack upon Azumarill.

"Spritz, return!" and the Azumaril escaped immense pain from the powerful attack as it disappeared into the Pokeball a fraction of a second before Electabuzz could strike.

"Rocky, take him out!" Ash tossed out the Pokeball releasing the megaton rock Pokemon, and on Angelina's call, it dug into the earth, thus avoiding any attack that could have proved effective against it. Electabuzz looked around in confusion for a second before the Dig attack blasted Electabuzz backward, and then the Earthquake attack that Golem skillfully utilized finished off the challenger's electric Pokemon.

"I can't believe this!" Damien wondered aloud as he called Electabuzz back, and he pulled out his final chance for a win from his belt and held it tightly in his hand. "Choose your Pokemon first!" he dared Angelina.

"As you wish," Angelina's face lit up in approval as she tugged another Pokeball from her waist after calling back the victorious Golem. "Let's go Charcoal!" Angelina wisely threw out the massive fiery-dragon Pokemon. Then he snorted a mixture of fire and smoke when he saw Damien. He knew what the guy had previously done to Ash's Charizard while it was a Charmander.

Damien's eyes grew wide in shock as it stared at the huge fire dragon. "So that's what my Charmander evolved into?"

"Correction, that _**was**_ your Charmander. Charizard is happy being with my brother because they are good friends and it's far far away from you," Angelina responded with a smirk.

"Machamp, pound this Charizard into the ground!" Damien simultaneously released the Pokeball holding the muscular, four-armed beast as he spoke his final word, and he commanded his final Pokemon to use the Karate Chop to destroy Charizard.

"Charcoal, use your Flamethrower and finish him off quick!" Angelina ordered, and the winged demon blew out a titanic wave of fire from its mouth, toasting the Machamp as if it were breakfast.

"I suggest you leave now and don't cause any problems," Brock said in a voice that sent a chill down Angelina's back.

Pikachu's cheeks began to spark, and Charcoal prepared to send a Flamethrower towards Damien's way. Damien took the hint as he called back the medium-rare Machamp and ran back into the woods as quickly as possible. Angelina and Charcoal saw the look on Damien's face as he disappeared. They knew that they would have to be on their guard. They hoped that they would never have to see Damien again.

"That guy is nothing but a big jerk," May said.

"That goes double for me," Max said.

"Triple for us," Ash and Brock said as Pikachu nodded.

"Exactly," Jeremy agreed, while Christina and Chocolate nodded.

"Just even thinking about what he did sickens me," Max said.

"Yeah, but Damien will be back. He'll probably try to get Charizard to be his Pokemon again, even though Charcoal clearly showed it would never want to return to Damien," Angelina said.

The others nodded. They knew that they would have to be on their guard. A few hours later, they relaxed in Petalburg Woods. They had let all their Pokemon out. There was a lake nearby, so it was natural that Mudkip, Swampert, Spritz, and Totodile wanted to go swimming. Grovyle, Swellow, Pikachu, Chocolate, Lombre, Wonka, and Smoochum joined them. The others just smiled as they watched the Pokemon in the water.

"I don't know about you, but I'm joining them," May said. She always had her bathing suit under her clothes because she always anticipated a chance to go swimming. She removed her clothes and jumped into the lake.

"Same here," Angelina added, she and Christina were already in their swimsuits and followed right behind their friend.

"Pikapi pika," Pikachu said, pointing to the water. _**(Ash, come on in)**_

"Okay Pikachu. Here I come," Ash said. Like the girls, he also had his swimsuit under his clothes and removed them. He then jumped into the lake.

Brock, Jeremy, and Max didn't want to be left out and took off their clothes to reveal their swim suits as well. "Wait for us," they said before jumping in too.

Lombre and Mudkip ganged up on Brock and started splashing him while Swampert tackled Jeremy. Chocolate, Wonka, and Spritz ganged up on Angelina; Pikachu and Grovyle ganged up on Ash and May; and Swellow, Smoochum, and Totodile ganged up on Max and Christina. Everyone laughed and had a good time splashing each other. Charcoal, Torkoal, Forretress, Torchic, and Beautifly laughed as well at seeing everyone getting soaked.

Suddenly, the group got blasted out of the water. They had unintentionally invaded a Gyrados's territory. The Gyrados swam closer to the group and gave off another Hyper Beam. But unlike the last one that exploded right in front of them, this one was aimed directly at them.

"Quick Charcoal, use your Flamethrower!" Angelina shouted.

Charcoal quickly countered the Hyper Beam with his Flamethrower. They cancelled out attacks caused a big explosion. As the smoke cleared, Gyrados grabbed Ash with its tail. When the smoke cleared completely, the others could see Ash in Gyrados's tail. The Pokemon knew that they would have to be careful. Gyrados would most likely use Ash as a human shield. Ash knew it as well.

"We got to do something, guys," Max said.

"We will," Brock said.

Meanwhile, Angelina, Jeremy, and their Pokemon along with Ash's Pokemon had huddled together and secretly formed a plan. They quietly told the other Pokemon. The others nodded, and they prepared to put the plan in action. Charcoal, Beautifly and Swellow flew into the air, surrounding the Gyrados. However, they didn't rule out that this Gyrados knew the move Twister.

The Gyrados did know Twister and used it to form a water field around it and Ash. This was a large cyclonic water field, suggesting that the Gyrados had used it quite often. Swampert and Grovyle had jumped into the water and swam to the water field. Swampert dove underwater and into the Twister attack. When at Gyrados's eye level, it delivered a Mud Shot attack.

"Swam swampert swam," Swampert said. _**(Take that you big bully)**_

Gyrados roared in pain because the mud badly stung its eyes. The Twister attack began to dwindle until it was completely gone. Swampert had managed to get out of the Twister. But it was a really bad idea to blind the Gyrados because it unknowingly turned to Ash and prepared to fire another Hyper Beam. Grovyle and Lombre quickly delivered a Razor Leaf. The barrage of leaves went straight for Gyrados's tail.

Gyrados roared in pain again and flung Ash high into the air before shooting the Hyper Beam. Because of Grovyle and Lombre's quick thinking, the Hyper Beam completely missed Ash. Charcoal was right where Gyrados threw Ash. In other words, Gyrados threw Ash right into Charcoal's waiting arms.

Swampert and Grovyle had then gotten out of the water. Pikachu and Chocolate then gave Gyrados a Thunder attack, using the water to supercharge the attack. The Gyrados swam away with the little strength it had left after that devastating attack. Charcoal, Beautifly and Swellow landed next to Angelina, Jeremy, Brock, Max, Christina, and May. Then Charcoal put Ash down.

"That was a close one," Christina said.

"I know. Thanks Grovyle, Lombre. Your quick thinking helped Charcoal and me out," Ash said as Charcoal nodded in agreement.

"Grovyle," Grovyle said. _**(Anytime)**_

"Lomb, lomb lombre," Lombre added. _**(Yeah, don't mention it)**_

The rest of the day was very peaceful. At around sunset, everyone had gathered for dinner. Pikachu and Chocolate sat between their trainers. Everyone finished dinner half an hour later. Then Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, Ash, May, Max, and Brock set up their sleeping bags and settled in for the night.

**§To Be Continued§**

I brought back an old character and decided to have some fun with this chapter! Well, thanks for reading! I have to study for my college finals, but I'll work on the next chapter sometime during my vacation! Happy Holidays!


	36. Double Dilemmatized

I'm back! Thank you for being very patient! Hope you had a great Christmas, so here's the next chapter! It's similarly based on the episode _**'A Double Dilemma'**_! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas. Enjoy!

**Chapter 36: Double Dilemmatized**

The following morning, Brock fixed everyone breakfast. Half an hour after finishing, they all got ready to hit the road again. Fortunately, they weren't too far into the woods and decide to take a break at the Pokemon Center in North Petalburg City.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

While Ash and friends entered the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon, Angelina waited outside for them while Jeremy and Christina explored the town and promised to meet up later.

It wasn't long that a brown-haired woman ran outside and down the street yelling about something; this left Angelina very confused, but shrugged it off when she joined her brother and friends. Suddenly, then heard a rumbling in the distance.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"A giant crowd of people." Brock noted, and soon the group of trainers are surrounded by the mob.

"I'm here live with Norman's kids, May and Max!" a brown-haired man wearing a dark suit announced, holding out a microphone. "You are May and Max, right?"

"Uhm, yes." May and Max said nervously.

"Dee Dunston from North Petalburg News!" the reporter introduced. "And from what we've been hearing, you're on your way to become a top Co-ordinator, May!"

Wonka cries in fright, Angelina takes the baby Wynaut into her arms and soothes it. She wasn't sure if the town knew that she defeated Norman for the Balance badge, though surprised to find out how they reacted to May and Max's return to their hometown. They weren't even impressed when Ash said he traveled with May and flashed his four Hoenn badges.

Angelina sighed, joining Brock and Ash at a distance from the crowd, they watched May's Beautifly show off its Silver Wind. They were approached by a couple of trainers; a boy with brown hair wearing a red shirt, and a dark blue haired boy wearing a light blue shirt.

"So, you guys are traveling around with May and Max?" asked the brown-haired boy.

"Yeah, we are." Brock said.

"Yeah? Well what'dya come here for?" the dark blue-haired boy demanded.

"I came to challenge the Petalburg Gym," Ash declared happily.

"NOT!" the two trainers yelled.

Ash jumped back, confused. "Why not?"

"You can't just waltz in here off the street and challenge Norman's gym." the brown-haired boy said angrily.

"Only specially chosen trainers can challenge him, that's not you," the dark blue-haired boy stated.

"Yeah? Really?" Ash asked, while his sister grew more annoyed by the minute.

"But the rules clearly state that any trainer can challenge any gym at any town he or she wants." Brock informed.

"Exactly," Angelina ageed. "It's just like freedom of speech, but more Pokemon style."

"Too bad, not in this town," the brown-haired said.

"Look, there are plenty of other gyms out there. Go find them!" the blue-haired boy ordered. "And hey, the sooner you get outta this town, the better I'm gonna like it."

"Pal, you couldn't challenge Norman if you kept trying for a hundred years, and even then you'd have to beat me first, **AND** we know that's never gonna happen." the brown-haired boy taunted.

"Sounds to me this kid is hinting he wants to battle with you," Brock suggested to Ash.

"Accept it, or they'll have to deal with Kanto's Elite Four Champion," Angelina said agitatedly, her fist clenched.

"I know, and this will be a good warm-up for my gym battle." Ash grinned.

They arrived at the park, Ash and the brown-haired trainer face off for their battle. The trainer calls out his Golduck while Ash sends in Grovyle. Golduck starts with a Focus Punch, but Grovyle jumps out of the way with its amazing speed, and Golduck punches the ground instead. Grovyle then hurts Golduck a bit with its Bullet Seed, but Golduck retaliates with a Hydro Pump. The water pushes Grovyle back, knocking it over. Golduck is about to finish off with Scratch, but Grovyle gets up and counters with a Quick Attack before it can do anything, and then finishes off with Leaf Blade. Golduck falls over in defeat.

"Good job, Grovyle!" Ash praised, then looks out at the brown-haired trainer. "So now do you agree that I'm good enough to go and challenge Norman at his gym, or what?"

The dark blue-haired boy steps forward, holding a Pokeball. "I'm up next!"

"No, I wanna knock down this kid a peg or two!" "I wanna shot at him, too!" said two other trainers that approach, holding Pokeballs.

"Well Ash, looks to me you're starting to get your own fan club," Brock notes, his arms folded.

"That's great," Ash said nervously.

Soon, more trainers arrive, forming a line to battle Ash. Then he calls out all five of his Pokemon, and they quickly tire out from all the battling.

"Giving up?" taunted the brown-haired boy.

"Why don't you run away since you obviously don't have what it takes." suggested the dark blue-haired boy.

"Have what it takes?!" Ash yelled, then roars, "Hey, I can take all of you on at the same time!"

"Yeah? Now you're talking!" the dark blue-haired boy grinned.

Angelina sighed and walking off toward a nearby tree, she sat down on a swing with Wonka in her lap. The two watched Ash's Pikachu take out five Pokemon with a single Thunder attack, though other trainers send out more Pokemon.

"Hey Angel, want me to push you?"

"Huh, me?" Angelina blinked; she looked up and saw Brock smiling down at her. She smiled back, blushing lightly. "Oh! No, that's okay…. I'd rather just sit…."

"All right, but I didn't want you to be alone," Brock said.

Angelina smiled gently, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

A few minutes later, there's a huge pile of knocked out Pokemon and Ash sits on the ground panting while his Pokemon lay nearby also exhausted.

"If Ash doesn't quit, I'll have to step in," Angelina declared.

"Yeah, I know. This could go on forever," Brock agreed.

Angelina looked down at her Wynaut, he was growling at the other trainers; curling his two arms to look like fists and held them up as if looking for a fight. She giggled and turned to Brock, "I think Wonka is rea-" she paused at the sound of cheering; a crowd of people approach the park carrying both May and Max on a platform. She picked up Wonka and walked towards the crowd; Jeremy and Christina arrived also and very confused.

"We don't want someone the likes of you battling with our Norman!" Dunston said angrily to Ash.

Angelina became very agitated when she heard Rose (the woman reporter) suggest that May should show the brat, referring to Ash, who's better.

"Please, not another one," Ash sighed, then yelled, "Fine! I'll have to show you guys once and for all!"

"All right! Wow! I can see my headline now! Proudly proclaiming May's decisive win over this light weight!" Dunston said excitedly.

"I'll be happy to be the judge!" Rose added.

"Yeah! I'm gonna win one for my dad!" May said happily.

"I'm really not comfortable with this," Max muttered.

"We'll see who does the winning!" Ash warned confidently.

'_**You tell'em, Ash,'**_ Angelina grinned in thought.

The crowd forms a huge circle, leaving plenty of room for Ash and May to battle. Brock, Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy stood behind Ash on the left while Max stood behind May on the right.

"This will be a single one-on-one battle!" Rose declared. "Trainers ready?"

"I'm sure Beautifly and Skitty are too tired for this. So Torchic, I choose you!" May said, calling out the red chick-like Pokemon.

"So, Torchic!" Ash nodded. "Hey Pikachu, are you ready?" he turned to the electric mouse, but it fell in exhaustion. "Oh, guess not," then he sighed, "Grovyle, Corphish, and Torkoal are wiped out, too!"

"And don't forget, you're more exhausted than any of them," Brock added.

Ash frowned, "I'm fine! Taillow, I choose you!" he throws out a Pokeball and throws it, revealing the swallow-bird Pokemon. "Okay, Peck Attack!" his Pokemon swoops down and starts pecking at Torchic.

"Torchic!" May cried.

"All right, good!" Ash grinned, but the crowd boos at him. "Ahhh! Tell me how you really feel! Let's show'em how much we really care with a Wing Attack, Taillow!"

"Taiiiii-LOW!" the swallow-bird's wings glow white and quickly strikes Torchic.

"Yeah, one more time!" Ash shouted, but the crowd boos again. "Ahhhh! Okay, I get the point!"

"Go Torchic, Ember!" May ordered.

Torchic fires of small glowing balls of embers, which hits both Ash and Taillow as they try to shield themselves.

"This is so much fun!" May cheered, jumping excitedly and waving her arms. "I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm winning! More Ember!"

"TOOOOOR!" the fire-chick Pokemon fired of more flaming embers, thus forming a huge fireball.

"Look out!" Ash yelled, he was struck hard by the fire attack and fell to the ground roasted. "That was fun…. Let's do it again…."

"Poor Ash, guess you can say he's really burnt out now!" Brock sympasized while Angelina, Christina, and Jeremy stood in shock.

"The brat is unable to battle!" Rose announced. "So, this wonderful victory goes to May!"

"Unfair! It's not a win when a trainer is knocked out!" Angelina protested. "The rules clearly state that when a Pokemon is unable to continue, the opponent and its trainer are therefore victorious of that battle."

"Yep, ready for the next challenger!" Ash said deliriously.

The crowd was now admiring May for her victory. Ash stood with his friends, listening to the conversation that there were people impersonating May and Max and passing out autographs by the fountain. The reporter comes up with another article about May finding the imposters and defeating them.

"May rules! May rules! May rules! May rules!" the crowd chants, carrying May and Max once again on the platform and leaving the park.

"Imposters?" Ash blinked confusedly. "That's pretty weird."

"Suspicious, actually," Jeremy agreed.

"Then we're going to check it out," Angelina said determindly. "C'mon guys."

They walked out of the park and down the street; they caught up with the crowd and made their way up front where May and Max stared at a group of people that consisted of a man and woman dressed like Norman and his wife Caroline, and two Pokemon-like creatures dressed like May and Max.

"What's all the yelling about?" Ash asked.

"Those two weirdoes say that they're us," May replied.

"HEY WE ARE YOU... you're not..." the fake-May angrily insists.

"I'VE HAD IT!" May screamed, waving her arms and jumping about in a babyish tantrum. "TORCHIC! Ember, Ember, Ember, Ember, Ember, Ember, Ember, Ember, Ember!"

Torchic released another blast of glowing embers which turns into a Flamethrower-style attack and burns away the fake-costumes and reveals Team Rocket's Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet.

"Who the Pokemon are you?" Dunston demanded.

"Prepare for trouble, you'll find out soon enough."

"Make it double, things are gonna get rough."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people's within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blasts off unmasked at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or... prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"And I'm Meowth! Dat's right!" finished the feline Pokemon.

"WOOOOOOOOOBBBBBBFFET!" saluted the blue blob-like Pokemon.

"Figures you were the imposters," Ash frowned.

"Listen, if you don't mind, we prefer to be called thieves," Jessie insisted, holding a Pokeball.

"Yeah," James grinned, also holding a Pokeball.

"Seviper, I choose you!"

"Cacnea, you're up!" James ordered, but the cactus-Pokemon tackled him around the neck. "Aaaaah! Not me, the twerps! Pin Missile!"

Cacnea turned around and fired off glowing needles at Torchic, but Pikachu jumps in the way and destroyed the Pin Missile attack with a Thunderbolt. Seviper then used Haze attack; smoke covered everywhere and Team Rocket makes their escape in the Meowth balloon.

"Oh no, where's my Torchic?" May asked worriedly.

"Up there!" Christina said, pointing up at the Meowth balloon.

Along with bags of money, Team Rocket also had May's Torchic; Angelina suspected they swiped the wrong Pokemon instead of Pikachu.

"And an entire town holds its breath…." Dunston said.

"Help us out, Pikachu!" Ash called; the electric mouse runs up a tree until it's the same height at Team Rocket's balloon. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu zooms out of the tree and into Team Rocket's balloon; causing the Rockets to drop the bags of money and Torchic.

"Torchic!" May cried happily, catching the chick-Pokemon while the bags of money were caught by Rose and another guy.

"Go Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu leaps out of the balloon and fires a bolt of electricity, causing the balloon to explode and send the Rockets blasting out of sight.

"Pikachu, good job!" Ash said, catching his Pokemon and the crowd cheers happily.

"Ya know, you did very good." Dunston praised.

"That was some very fancy battling." Rose added.

"Thank you," Ash said delightedly.

"Not you, novice! I'm talking about your Pikachu!" Dunston informed.

Ash falls to the ground, while Pikachu stares at the people confusedly.

"That snotty trainer was pathetic, but his Pikachu is a different story!" Dunston complimented.

"I could venture to say that Pikachu could challenge Norman." Rose suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," another man agreed while the crowd cheers for Pikachu.

Angelina sighed, "Well, at least they like one of them."

The gang is now departing from North Petalburg, the town's people saying their goodbyes to May and Max.

"Well, that was a lively bunch of people." Brock noted.

"I know," Max agreed. "They're acting like Dad's a rock star or something."

"I wonder if he knows about this," May said curiously.

"Yeah, Petalburg City is our next stop!" Ash grinned. "You think about your Dad, I'll think about badge number five!"

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

Angelina laughed, "Best of luck, and trust me, you'll need it."

After spending a chaotic afternoon in the throws of Norman-mania, our heroes set their sights on Petalburg City and Ash's fifth gym battle.

**§To Be Continued§**

Since the last update, this chapter took a week and four days to plan out because I was deciding whether or not to use the episode, but I couldn't resist since there were funny parts and I didn't like how Ash was treated. Anyway, thanks for reading! Have a great New Years' and I will update again soon!


	37. Petalburg Lovin'

My Christmas and New Years was wonderful! Here's the next chapter, is similarly based to the episode _**'Love, Petalburg Style'**_! I don't own Pokemon except my own characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 37: Petalburg Lovin'**

Arrival back in Petalburg City is a third visit for Angelina, a special homecoming for May and Max; but for Ash, this represents home to his fifth gym battle. While Brock follows May and Max to their house, Angelina and her friends join Ash at the Pokemon Center.

The glass doors parted open when Ash, Angelina, Jeremy, and Christina stepped inside the Pokemon Center. They saw a familiar dark-blue haired man wearing a red jacket leaning over the desk talking and laughing with Nurse Joy.

"Look who it is," Ash said, walking forward. "Hey Norman!"

"Oh Norman, are you sure?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Of course. You know I trust you one hundred percent."

"Excuse me," Ash startled the two adults, they turned to him and the others.

"Oh! Welcome back, Ash!" Nurse Joy greeted.

"Yeah, I've been looking forward to your return." Norman added.

"Thanks. I have been, too." Ash smiled.

Norman nodded at Angelina and Christina, then looked back at the girls' brother, "I would imagine you have quite a few new Pokemon. Am I right?"

"Yes sir. That's why I'm here." Ash replied. "And we're ready to win!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Well well! That's the spirit!" Norman grinned.

"So what do you say to a battle re-match?" Ash asked.

Norman shrugged, "I don't see why not," then he glanced over his shoulder and waved, "Thanks, Nurse Joy! I'll follow up with you soon."

"You know you can depend on me anytime, Norman," Nurse Joy assured.

"Yeah, I know that." Norman laughed.

Christina giggled, but Angelina and Jeremy shared suspicious expressions; they wondered what was going on between the nurse and Petalburg's gym leader.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

The gang leave the center after Ash gives his Pokemon to Nurse Joy and head over to Norman's greenhouse where they find the others and Kenny.

"We just saw Norman over at the Pokemon Center talking to Nurse Joy," Ash said. "Think she must've been helping him with one of his Pokemon. Right Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" the electric mouse nodded.

Angelina and Jeremy noticed the nervousness and tension from their friends.

"What's wrong?" Christina asked.

"I know! Ask me what I'm going to do? Yep, this is a job for the original love doctor I'm afraid." Brock claimed, then runs off. "That's me. Later!"

"This could be bad!" May said worriedly.

"It's fine! Brock knows what he's doing!" Max assured.

"But he calls himself the love doctor!" Kenny reminded.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Angelina told them.

"Wait!" Ash called, but everyone had already left the greenhouse and chased after Brock.

They arrived back at the Pokemon Center; the glass doors parted open and they saw Norman leaning against the desk in deep conversation with Nurse Joy.

"You're kidding!" Joy giggled.

"No, really!" Norman said.

"Yeah, it's true." Kenny sighed.

"I can't believe my eyes!" May shrieked.

"I still say it's not true!" Max yelled.

Angelina rolled her eyes, "You won't know until you find out," she walked forward and the others followed. "We're back, Norman!"

Norman turned around and smiled, "I see, and you've brought May and Max! Hi!"

"Hi," May spoke timidly.

"So I hear you caught some new Pokemon?" Norman questioned, but then was concerned about his childrens' downed expressions. "What's wrong? Do you feel okay?"

"No, not really," May replied unsurely.

"Norman, its great to see you again," Brock said in a serious voice.

"Brock, how are you?" Norman greeted happily.

"We need to have a talk."

Angelina knew it wouldn't last long when she watched Brock run up to Nurse Joy and grabbed her hands, but was pulled away by Kenny. "We should be half-way to Fortree City by now," she said annoyedly, then she looked up when May and Max's mother walked inside.

"Dear, what's wrong?" Norman asked concernedly. "Where are you going with that suitcase?"

"I'm going anywhere but here," Caroline informed.

May and Max gasped, everyone else was in shock except for Norman when he asked if Caroline needed help with her luggage.

"Listen up! She is leaving!" Kenny shouted, shaking his fist.

"Right. I'm just wondering where she's going." Norman replied.

"I just told you, anywhere but here," Caroline reminded.

"Well okay," Norman said, then he looked to his gym assistant. "I guess that means you'll be handling the kitchen detail, Kenny."

"How could you be so incredibly dense!" Kenny, May, Max, and Caroline yelled.

"Not everyone can understand women." Brock admitted.

Angelina placed her hands on her hips, "Say that a little louder, I dare ya!" she said insultedly.

"My bad," Brock said, embarrassingly. "Almost forgot you were here, too."

Jeremy laughed, "Don't worry 'bout it."

It didn't take long for Kenny to explain the problem to Norman as to why Caroline was leaving and was always furious at him for being around the Pokemon Center talking to Nurse Joy.

"But fortunately now, my eyes are wide open," Caroline announced. "Don't worry about me, kids. I'll be just fine. It was really thoughtful of you to have us deal with this on our wedding anniversary."

"That's right!" May responded. "I forgot, your wedding anniversary is today!"

"I didn't." Caroline replied.

"That's why you can't leave." May declared.

"Yeah, you've gotta try and work this out." Kenny added.

"Knock it off!" Max screamed angrily. "None of you people are even giving Dad the benefit of the doubt! My dad's the best gym leader in the whole world, and he's my hero, too!"

"Yes. I know, Max." Caroline sympathized.

Norman laughed, "What a mess, but at least now I know what you're talking about."

"Dad! We don't think it's very funny!" May said upsetly.

"I'm sorry, May. There's just been a huge misunderstanding." Norman informed. "What do you say we all head home and straighten this thing out?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Angelina said, still holding her Wynaut. "Ash is back at the greenhouse waiting for us."

They arrive at Norman's greenhouse, and suddenly heard a loud explosion. Ash, Pikachu, and two of Norman's Pokemon (Slakoth and Vigoroth) were laying on the ground while Team Rocket stood nearby.

"ASH!" everyone cried.

"Ash, are you all okay?" Norman asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Ash stood up.

"Not you three crooks again!" Norman glared at the Rockets.

Jessie and James yelped, "It is-"

"Nice to see you again, Norman," Meowth finished irritatedly.

"Team Rocket's trying to steal some of your Pokemon," Ash informed _**(A/N: in a tattletale voice, LOL)**_, while his sisters giggled.

"There's no way I'm letting you three clowns catch any of my Pokemon!" Norman admonished.

"Hey! You don't have to get nasty!" Jessie snapped. "Seviper, Poison Tail!"

"Cacnea, Pin Missile!" James ordered.

Ash, Norman, and the Pokemon dodged Seviper's glowing purple tail, but Cacnea's Pin Missile attack fired overheard; striking something and caused another explosion.

"OH NO!" Nurse Joy and Norman shouted.

"What was that explosion?" May asked.

"THAT DOES IT!" Norman roared angrily. "You'll regret ever coming to this town!"

Jessie and James panicked while Meowth stood it's ground worriedly, "Okay, so now I'm afraid."

"Why's dad flipping out like that?" Max asked.

"Good Lord!" Caroline gasped.

"Now Slaking!" Norman called, and in minutes the large ape-like Pokemon appeared and roared angrily at the Rockets. "Give'em your Focus Punch!"

Slaking jumped up with a glowing fist, then knocked the Rockets and their Pokemon into the sky and out of sight.

"That was just one attack!" Ash said in awe.

"Oh!" Norman gasped, he ran toward a destroyed machine hidden in the grass. "My anniversary surprise is ruined!"

"Surprise?" May asked, confused.

"Yes, it was a fireworks' display for Mom." Norman replied.

"Fireworks?" Caroline asked surprisingly.

"Wow! Giving fireworks as a present is about the most romantic thing I've ever heard of!" May squealed excitedly.

"I can have another fireworks' display ready for tonight," Nurse Joy offered, which everyone gasped and stared in shock.

"But how can you do that?" Ash asked.

"Besides my being a nurse, I'm also a licensed pyrotechnician. So of course Norman asked me to prepare all those fireworks to surprise his wife." Nurse Joy explained. "And he also made me promise I wouldn't tell anybody."

"What?" Caroline gasped.

Brock ran up to Nurse Joy, smiling goofily, "You are amazing! You've stirred up the fireworks inside of me as well!"

Angelina sighed, "It's not fireworks, but I knew what he meant," she frowned when Max pulled Brock away from Nurse Joy.

Later that evening, the party was prepared while Nurse Joy fixed the fireworks' machine for Norman.

"Norman. All set to go!" Joy called.

"Thank you. All right! Everyone ready for something special?" Norman pressed a button on a remote and fireworks shooted out of the machine, forming into Beautifly.

"Oh wow! It's a Beautifly!" May awed.

"That's really cool," Ash said.

"Definitely," Angelina agreed.

While Norman went back to the house for more drinks, Caroline explained why the fireworks were formed into Beautifly. When Norman first proposed to her, they stood in a field of gorgeous flowers and there were Beautifly everywhere as if they were being watched by a special group of cupids.

"And looking back on all this, I'm so glad he kept it a secret after all." Caroline blushed happily.

"I'm glad too," Kenny added. "Mystery solved."

"Its so cool that our parents are so in love," May said.

"See May, I told you so." Max grinned.

Everyone laughed, then Norman returns and tells Ash what Pokemon will be used in their battle tomorrow. Although, Max says it wasn't a good idea for the challenger to know ahead of time, but Norman wants him and Ash to battle as best they could, and they agree to that with a handshake.

"Yeah, but Dad will win anyway," Max insisted.

"It's hard; I want Dad to win, but I don't want Ash to lose." May said undecidedly.

"A tough call," Brock noted.

Christina looked up at her sister, "Can we stay and watch the battle, too?"

"Maybe," Angelina said unsurely.

While both opponents are brimming with confidence, Max is standing firmly in his father's corner while May's torn feelings have her caught in the middle and Angelina is undecisive about staying, but one question is on everyone's mind, will Ash win his fifth badge? Stay tuned!

**§To Be Continued§**

Okay, you should all know what happens in the episode of Ash's battle with Norman, because I'm not making a chapter from that. As for this one, I just had to include the episode that followed _**'A Double Dilemma'**_. So thanks for reading, leave comments please!


	38. Better Bickers In Days

I'm back again! Thanks for the reviews, so here's the next chapter, it's based similarly to the episode _**'The Bicker The Better'**_! I don't own Pokemon except my characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 38: Better Bickers In Days**

The next morning after leaving the Pokemon Center, Angelina and her companions went through downtown Petalburg City. Not having the time yesterday, Jeremy showed Angelina and Christina what he considered to be the best places to eat and a few of the shops, but ended up dragging the girls away from most of the shops though.

After walking around town for a while, they stopped for lunch and got a slice of pizza each at a small pizzaria. Angelina ordered a small slice for Wonka as well, but Wonka didn't like it so she gave it some berries she picked up in Petalburg Woods instead.

"So where to next?" Angelina asked, taking another bite of her pizza.

"Well, obviously you've been to the gym already..." Jeremy stated, looking out the window to the streets of Petalburg. He had already finished his pizza while Christina finished hers and Angelina was dealing with Wonka.

"Guessing you wouldn't be interested if we returned for Ash's battle," Angelina glared at Jeremy, too busy eating to voice her response. Jeremy looked at her, expecting a response, but got the message when he saw the look she was giving him.

"Thought you had said before that wouldn't interest you..." Jeremy said, grinning sheepishly. "So I guess since we've seen just about everything else anyway, how about we travel back to Littleroot Town and catch the ferry for Fortree City?"

Angelina and Christina nodded in agreement.

"All right, Littleroot Town it is..." Jeremy sat back in his chair and waited for the girls to finish eating their pizza. While he was waiting, he felt something nudging his leg. When he looked under the table, he saw Angelina's Wynaut staring back at him. "Well what do you want? Huh?" he said to it, reaching under to pat it on the head.

Wonka batted Jeremy's hand away with a swipe of one of its arms as he reached under, though. Jeremy quickly withdrawed his hand.

"Sheesh.… I was just trying to be friendly." Jeremy said to it. He sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. Angelina and Christina giggled when they realized what happened, and Jeremy stuck his tongue out at them.

Wonka wasn't quite finished, however. It ran up to Jeremy's legs and started hitting him with its arms. It wasn't really hitting Jeremy very hard, but it was somewhat annoying.

"Angel, could you please call off your Wynaut?" Jeremy muttered.

"Wonka, behave yourself." Angelina said to it. Wonka immediately stopped hitting Jeremy and sat down by Angelina under the table. When the girls finally finished their pizza, the three of them left the pizzeria with Angelina once again carrying Wonka in her arms.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

After taking a ferry from Littleroot Town, they now travel through the forest toward Fortree City and Angelina's next gym battle. They hoped to find a place to rest, but little did they know, they'd have some difficulty before the night would end.

"So we're staying at the Pokemon Center as usual then?" Jeremy asked as they walked through the forest.

"Yeah, don't see why not..." Angelina replied. "Though I think we should just share a room for a change. I know its free, but it's better than getting separate rooms all the time."

"Angelina, you're a girl, I'm a guy, that's why we get separate rooms." Jeremy said flatly.

"So we can't share a room, but its perfectly fine for us to sleep on the ground next to each other?" Angelina shot back. "At least in a room I wouldn't have to worry about you spying on me when I'm taking a shower or getting a bath."

"What?!" Jeremy said in shock. "When have I ever tried spying on you?!"

"That time when we were camping outside Verdanturf." Angelina said to him, stopping where she was and glaring at him while Christina glanced between the two curiously.

"I was worried about you!" Jeremy said, glaring back at her. "I heard you scream and wanted to make sure you were all right!"

"Hmph! That was just an excuse and you know it!"

"What makes you think I'd even WANT to see you taking a bath?"

"From all the times you've seen me in a swimsuit, you know I'm beautiful AND not just the daughter of a gym leader but also Pokemon Master." Angelina ran her fingers through her hair. "Its only natural for a guy to want a girl that is so far out of his league..."

"You're completely delusional..." Jeremy said dryly.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Angelina yelled.

"You heard me..." Jeremy muttered.

"You jerk! You're lucky I'm even willing to travel with someone like you!" Angelina snapped, shaking her fist as if threatening to punch Jeremy.

"Lucky?" Jeremy snorted. "I'd say there was something that made me join you, but all you do is hold me back, yell at me, and complain. I'd be better off without you."

"Well if that's how you feel then why don't you just go your own way then?!"

"Maybe I will!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!" Angelina and Jeremy turned their backs to each other and crossed their arms over their chest with a _**'hmph'**_. The two of them then started walking in separate directions to get away from each other, Christina was confused upon whom to follow, but sighed and walked with her sister. Wonka watched Jeremy walk away from them with a puzzled expression on its face, wondering why its _**'mother'**_ and someone it thought she was good friends with suddenly started fighting.

"Delusional.… hmph... I look great!" Angelina said, looking at her reflection in her compact mirror. "Right, Wonka? Christina?" she first glanced at Christina, whom looked up with a half-smile and half-frown. Then looked over her shoulder at the baby Pokemon in her backpack. It didn't seem to be paying attention to her, though, and gave no response. ".… Anyway! Its not like we need Jeremy with us. We can get along just fine without Mr. Know-it-all." Angelina and Christina continued down the road towards the Pokemon Center, which was now straight in front of them.

After spending the night at the Pokemon Center and healing their Pokemon, Angelina and Christina continued traveling through the forest toward Fortree City and suddenly were encountered by a young couple dressed in royal-looking outfits; a blonde woman wearing a pink gown, and a turquoise-haired man wearing a soldier suit.

"Hello, young ladies," greeted the man. "The names' Oscar and this is my partner, Andy. May we interest you in a Pokemon tag battle?"

"What's a tag battle?" Christina asked.

"It's when each trainer uses one Pokemon with no substitutes. They must rely on their partner and work together, and which ever team renders each others' opponents Pokemon unable to battle wins," Angelina explained, then looked to the couple. "My names'

Angelina, and this is my little sister Christina. She's a pre-beginner Pokemon trainer, so will a one-on-one battle be okay instead?"

"Of course, and I'll accept your challenge," Andy smiled, taking out a Pokeball and threw it. "Go, dear Nidoqueen!" the female counterpart of Nidoking appeared and let out a roar.

"I choose you, Charcoal!" Angelina yelled as the dragon-like Pokemon appeared from its Pokeball in a burst of bright light; spreading it's wings and let out a blast of flame from its mouth.

"Nidoqueen, use Body Slam," Andy said.

"You know what to do, Charcoal," Angelina said calmly. Charcoal nodded and braced itself.

Nidoqueen leaped in the air and prepared to slam into Charcoal with her thickly armored belly. Charcoal in turn grabbed Nidoqueen at arm's length, digging his feet into the ground but still being pushed back several feet by the force of the blow. Then with a mighty push forward and a few flaps of his wings both Pokemon were in the air. Charizard flew several hundred feet into the sky clutching the disoriented Nidoqueen to his chest with his strong arms.

"Seismic Toss!" Angelina yelled into the sky.

High above Charizard spun about, grabbed, and threw Nidoqueen down with all his might. Andy watched helplessly as her Pokemon slammed into the ground, creating a small crater.

When the dust settled, it showed Nidoqueen lying on the ground unconscious. Charizard landed and let out a mighty roar of victory as Angelina ran up and hugged the creature. Charizard smiled and hugged back, enveloping Angelina in his wings.

"My goodness, you are strong," Andy praised.

"Just like the previous trainer," Oscar agreed. "His powerful Shellgon took out my Nidoking."

"Okay," Angelina said, then thought, _**'I wonder if that was Jeremy?'**_

"C'mon Angel, we gotta go," Christina pulled her sister away from the couple.

The two sisters continued their journey and were now walking along a river; a Pokemon battle took place ahead of them, and to their surprise, Ash's Corphish, May's Skitty, Jessie's Dustox and Seviper, and James' Cacnea were launching attacks at each other.

"What the heck is going on?" Angelina stared in shock.

"A tag battle outta control," a familiar voice responded; the girls turned and saw Jeremy beside them.

"I call it! Battle over!" Brock ordered. "The rules clearly state that in any battle. I declare Jessie and May are therefore disqualified!"

"Wooo-buffet!" Jessie's Pokemon mimicked Brock's moves.

"Disqualify this! Dustox, Whirlwind!" Jessie yelled; her bug-Pokemon flapped its wings heavily and swiftly, blowing Brock and Wobbuffet into the ground.

Angelina gasped, "Oh no, Brock!"

"Well ya can't expect a Rocket to play fare in any battle," Jeremy enlightened.

Black smoke suddenly fills the area, everyone starts coughing and James yells out, "Now Meowth!"

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, just as the smoke clears and Team Rocket runs off with their Pokemon and Pikachu in a net. "You're asking for trouble!" he said angrily, just as the Rockets stopped running and turned around.

"Prepare for trouble, we're reuniting!"

"Make it double, we're through with fighting!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"With James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

"Now you see us," Jessie smirked, then runs off with James and their Pokemon. "Now you don't!"

"I don't think so!" Ash growled. "Pikachu, use Thunder!"

Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity, but the attack did nothing to the net.

"Please, don't you know by now that we're electricity proof?" James laughed.

"Come back!" Ash yelled.

"Skitty, use Assist!" May ordered.

Skitty jumps into the air and fires out Beautifly's String Shot that stops Team Rocket in their tracks.

"Wow! Thanks a lot, May," Ash smiled.

"Sure, anytime."

"Seviper! Poison Tail now!" Jessie commanded.

"Corphish, use Bubblebeam now!" Ash countered.

Seviper prepares to strike Skitty with its attack, but it was knocked back by a beam of bubbles.

"That's showin' em, Corphish!" Ash cheered.

"Hey Ash, thank you!" May said.

"You got it, May!" Ash grinned. "Are you ready to go?"

"You bet!"

"Cacnea, Pin Missile!" James commanded.

"Quick, Corphish! Use Harden to protect Skitty!" Ash shouted.

Corphish jumps forward and protects Skitty with its Harden attack from Cacnea's Pin Missile.

"Skitty, Double Slap Attack! Go!" May ordered; her Pokemon jumps up and hits Team Rocket with its tail multiple times.

"Awesome! Now that's showing some teamwork!" Max said excitedly.

"Looks like the battle between the sexes is over!" Brock noted.

"Yeah, and speaking of battles," Angelina turned to Jeremy. "Sorry I called you a jerk."

"Well I shouldn't have said those things to you before," Jeremy replied. "And I honestly didn't mean what I said either…. Sorry, still friends?" he held out his hand to her.

"Of course we're still friends…." Angelina said, smiling and shaking his hand.

The two of them held hands for several moments before Christina interrupted them. "I hate to break up this heartwarming moment, but Team Rocket's gone!"

Angelina and Jeremy looked over towards Christina standing with Brock and Max. The two of them then looked at each other and quickly withdrew their hands when they realized what they were doing, their faces red with embarrassment.

"Max just told me that Ash and May were fighting over a tag-battle they lost earlier to Andy and Oscar," Christina informed. "So you guys weren't the only ones."

"And look, they're making up now!" Max announced, pointing toward May and Ash smiling and complimenting each other.

The bonds of friendship and trust between Ash and May have strengthened, and while it also has between Jeremy and Angelina, they've gained experience of tag battling; another important step on their continued journey.

**§To Be Continued§**

The first time I watched the episode, it was interesting how tag-battling was introduced, especially with the added characters Andy and Oscar, but hilarious with the arguments. So along with that in this chapter, I fitted in my own ideas to make it slightly more interesting. Thanks for reading, I will return! Please comment!


	39. Damien's Revenge

Thanks for the reviews, guys! Here's the next chapter, not based on an episode. I don't own Pokemon except my characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 39: Damien's Revenge**

While Angelina and friends travel toward Fortree City late in the afternoon, they decide to take a break at a lake before continuing on. Angelina and Jeremy bring out their Pokemon to relax also; Charcoal (Charizard), Chocolate (Pikachu), Grovyle, and Feather (Swellow).

"Look, there's Ash!" Christina spotted her brother nearby taking a break.

"Where's Pikachu, and the others?" Jeremy asked.

Angelina stared suspiciously, "Something's not-" then she gasped as Damien appeared and watched a Tangela bind Ash down with its Vine Whip. "NO!"

"He's back!" Jeremy growled.

Angelina and Christina screamed as they saw a Scyther strike Ash from behind, then dropped to the ground after Tangela unwrapped its vines.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!**_

_**This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

"W-we have t-to help!" Angelina stuttered in anger and shock after what just happened to her brother. "Let's go!"

"Angel, you go," Jeremy instructed. "Christina and I will go find the others, and take Grovyle with you."

Angelina nodded, then she took off at a run with Grovyle while Feather flew over head with Charcoal and Chocolate on its back.

"Charcoal, Flamethrower!" Angelina said as Damien's Tangela shot out five razor-sharp leaves at her wounded brother.

Before the leaves made contact, a stream of fire burned them to a crisp. Charcoal landed in front of Ash and Angelina, and Chocolate jumped off Charcoal's back.

"Your turn, Grovyle! Bullet Seed!" Angelina ordered when Scyther attempted to get Ash from behind again.

Grovyle fired off hundreds of seeds fired machine-gun style, stopping Scyther. Then Grovyle and Jeremy stood right behind Ash.

A Weepingbell tried to use Stun Spore on the trainers and their Pokemon, but Angelina ordered her Swellow to use Gust and blew the paralyzing powder away, then used Wing Attack on the Weepingbell and knocked it unconscious.

"So, the calvary has come to aid their friend. You'll be too late to help him when I get through with him," Damien said smirking.

"You won't be doing anything to my brother!" Angelina said, her Pikachu's cheeks were sparking and Wonka was growling.

_**(Not if we have anything to say about it!) **_Charcoal added.

"You won't be able to stop me this time. Come on out everyone!" Damien then said.

Angelina, Wonka, Charcoal, Chocolate, Grovyle and Feather watched as two-dozen more Pokemon came out. Angelina wasted no time and commanded her Pokemon (except Wynaut) to attack. The odds may have been in Damien's favor, but Charcoal, Chocolate, Grovyle and Feather were better trained than most of Damien's Pokemon. Angelina's Pokemon took out most of Damien's Pokemon pretty easily.

While Angelina was too distracted in watching the Pokemon, Tangela and Scyther surrounded Ash. Scyther had its sword-like claws just inches away from Ash's throat.

Angelina's Pokemon fainted the rest of Damien's Pokemon in about ten minutes. They turned to see Scyther's sword-like claws dangerously close to Ash's neck.

Damien just stood there smirking "One step towards us, and Scyther slashes your brother's throat open," he warned.

Unknowingly to any of them, Jeremy's Grovyle had secretly gone into the trees. He quietly made his way behind Scyther. Then he jumped towards Scyther.

"Grovyle!" Grovyle shouted, a Leaf Blade at the ready. (No you don't)

Before Scyther or Damien could react, Grovyle hit his mark. Scyther went down; fortunately, Grovyle managed to keep Scyther's blade from cutting Ash. Before anyone could react, Tangela shot another Razor Leaf at Ash. This time, the Razor Leaf connected. Ash screamed in pain as the sharp leaves sliced into his body. Charcoal roared with primal rage. Grovyle screamed with just as much rage as Charcoal.

Then, three things happened. First off, Grovyle started to glow in a white aura. Angelina, Wonka, Chocolate, and Feather could only look in awe as Grovyle started to evolve and started growing. When the glow died down, a new Pokemon about 6' tall now stood in Grovyle's place. This Pokemon was a pale shade of green with a pink stripe going across its stomach. It had two leaves that were the same color as its body growing out of its forearms, and a ladybug-like back. It's back was ladybug-like because there were large yellow buds growing from it. The Pokemon also had a large tail that looked like a 3-D pine tree branch.

"Sceptile!" the new Pokemon shouted. _**(You'll pay)**_

The second thing that happened was that the buds on Sceptile's back began to glow. A few moments later, Sceptile shot a powerful greenish-white beam from his mouth. Angelina recognized the attack as Solarbeam; the attack completely overwhelmed Tangela, and it fell unconscious.

At about the same time that Grovyle evolved, Charcoal's tail flame glowed. Charcoal then flew into the air before rocketing towards Damien tail first. Charcoal made impact, and Damien went flying into a rock-like wall. Angelina whipped out her Pokedex and scanned her Charizard, she found out he just used Outrage.

Damien's Scyther had regained consciousness at this point as well. Charcoal moved to fight it, but Sceptile stopped him.

_**(Are you sure you want to face it?)**_ Charcoal asked.

Sceptile only nodded in response. Then he got ready to battle. Damien had recovered from Charcoal's attack.

"Let's take this one out Scyther. Fury Cutter!" Damien shouted.

"Scyther scy," Scyther said before approaching Sceptile. _**(You're getting cut down)**_

Sceptile stopped Scyther with Bullet Seed. Before Damien could give Scyther another command, Sceptile took it out with a double Leaf Blade.

Damien returned all his fainted Pokemon and appeared to be leaving. The truth was that he went around all of Ash's Pokemon and was in front of Ash. Then Damien took a switchblade from out of his pocket and put it next to Ash's throat.

"It looks like I win after all," Damien then said.

Angelina and her Pokemon turned around and saw Damien with a knife to Ash's throat.

Damien smirked. "I'll let him live if you come with me, Charcoal. It's your choice," he said.

Charcoal was at a standstill. _**('What do I do? I'm not even Ash's Pokemon, but if I don't go with Damien, he'll kill Ash. But if I do go with him, he'll probably kill Ash anyway as assurance that I stay')**_ he helplessly thought.

The answer to Charcoal's mental question came when a black blur snatched the knife out of Damien's hands. The black blur turned out to be none other than Feather. Just as quickly, something knocked Damien away from Ash. Then Damien screamed as something gave him a rather big shock. The something was Chocolate using Quick Attack followed by Thunderbolt.

"Pikachu pika chu," Chocolate said. _**(He's all yours, Charcoal)**_

Charizard nodded in thanks before charging towards Damien. Charcoal first used Take Down, which sent Damien flying again. Then Charcoal used Flamethrower before using Ember. The two fiery attacks left Damien looking like a piece of charcoal. Damien took the hint and left as quickly as he could. Feather watched Damien from above so there would be no more fooling around.

Damien had really left this time. Then Feather joined Angelina, Wonka, Charcoal, Sceptile and Chocolate, who were already at their wounded friend/brother's side. Feather took the knife in its beak and threw it up. Charcoal then destroyed the knife with his Flamethrower. Then the buds on Sceptile's back glowed again, but it wasn't going to be a Solarbeam; it had absorbed nutrients from some of the trees after defeating Damien's Scyther.

Then Sceptile placed his hands on Ash. The nutrients that Sceptile had absorbed from the trees converted to the move Recover. Ash's wounds had started closing. A few moments later, Ash was completely healed. He took Angelina's offered hand and was pulled up into a sitting position. Ash hugged his sister, and Angelina returned the hug. Chocolate jumped onto Angelina's shoulder when she and her brother parted. Swellow perched itself on Ash's shoulder and started nuzzling him. Then Charcoal hugged Ash from behind.

"Thanks Sceptile," Ash said smiling.

"Sceptile," Sceptile said. _**(Don't mention it)**_

"Thank you, all of you. I wouldn't have made it if it weren't for you," Ash said to the rest of Angelina's Pokemon.

"They wouldn't have been here without me," Angelina added, smiling. "You're my brother, and I'll do anything, even with my Pokemon's power, to keep you safe."

"I should be leaving. I'm sure that the others are worried about me," Ash said.

Suddenly, Angelina's Poke-Gear went off. She pulled it out and read the caller ID: _**Cretonne J. 552-7660**_, it was Jeremy.

"Did you find them, Jer?"

"Yeah, they set up camp not too far from the lake."

"All right, we'll see you in a bit." Angelina said, then closed off the connection and placed away her Poke-Gear. "I hope you know where that is, Ash." she then climbed onto Charcoal's back and her brother got on before they flew off.

Sceptile followed Charcoal from the trees, and Feather followed from the air with Chocolate on its back. They made it to the others in about ten minutes.

"There you guys are," Brock said in relief.

"What happened?" May asked, concerned.

"Damien's Pokemon attacked me. If not for Angelina and her Pokemon rescuing me, either he or his Pokemon would've killed me," Ash responded.

Then Sceptile came down from the trees. Brock, Christina, May and Max looked at him in awe. Still in awe, May took out her Pokedex.

_**"Sceptile, the wood gecko Pokemon. Sceptile is the evolved form of Grovyle. This Pokemon uses the bulb-like buds on its back to nourish trees. If weakened, a Sceptile will use the buds to take in nutrients from plants and trees to replenish itself. Sometimes, a Sceptile will also use these healing qualities on other people or Pokemon,"**_ the female voice of the Pokedex said.

"It's about time my Grovyle evolved," Jeremy grinned.

"Amazing, it looks really strong," Brock said.

"Not only that, but Sceptile also learned Solarbeam while my Charizard also learned a new move. He learned Outrage," Angelina said before she and Ash told the others everything that happened.

"I hoped that I could get some peace to myself. But after what happened today, I know that I won't be able to. Damien will always be lurking close by. He showed that he's willing to do anything to get Charizard back, even if it means my death," Ash added.

The others nodded. They had peace for the rest of the day. The situation with Damien had just gotten more complicated. If not for Angelina and her Pokemon, Ash would've surely lost his life today. From now on, Ash would have at least one Pokemon with him when he wanted to be alone. That way, the Pokemon with him can do whatever is necessary in case the need to protect Ash arises.

Later on, Ash was asleep his sleeping bag. The adrenaline rush that he had in his terrifying experience had worn off, leaving him very exhausted. Pikachu was curled beside him, also fast asleep; it was very relieved that Angelina and her Pokemon saved Ash in time. Brock, Angelina, Jeremy, May, Christina, and Max were talking amongst themselves. They made sure to keep their voices down so they wouldn't unintentionally wake Ash up.

"What can we do to help Ash? This was the worst attack on him so far," May said, extreme worry and concern in her voice.

"Well for a start, Ash should have his Pokemon on his belt when we wants to be alone. But the best thing is for you guys to stay together as much as possible." Angelina informed.

"Good idea," Brock said. "I've traveled with Ash for a long time, and there were quite a few situations where we got separated. Ash handled himself very well in those situations, but this is completely different. Us being separated could mean the difference between life and death for Ash."

"I just feel so sorry for Ash. He would've been killed today if it weren't for Angelina and her Pokemon," Max sympathized.

"Yeah, he was very lucky today," May agreed.

"Luck has been a big thing as far as Ash is concerned. I haven't been able to figure out why luck seems to always be on his side even to this day," Brock said.

It was indeed luck that Ash made it out of the horrifying confrontation with Damien alive. At about sunset, everyone sat around a campfire and hand dinner. Ash was back into his sleeping bag only half an hour afterwards because he was still very tired. Pikachu was curled up at his side again asleep as well.

"Well, should we hit the sack too?" Christina asked quietly.

"I think we should. We can all use a really good night's sleep tonight," Jeremy responded before setting up his sleeping bag.

Angelina, May, Christina, and Max then set up and got settled in their sleeping bags before nodding off to dreamland as well. Jeremy and Brock soon joined them. After all that's happened today, they were really looking forward to a peaceful night.

**§To Be Continued§**

Thought I'd bring back Damien again, it's fun to torture him. Well, I'll have the next chapter up real soon! Thanks for reading!


	40. Fortree Challenge

Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my own characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 40: Fortree Challenge**

"Here we are, girls," Jeremy said. "Fortree City!" he pointed out toward the forest-like city ahead of them. Angelina and Christina's eyes were filled with an amazing wonder; giant trees with lush, green leaves, and nestled in these trees among the leaves and branches were homes that had a natural quality to them.

"It's amazing!" Christina awed.

"Yeah," Angelina smiled. "We came here for my sixth gym badge!"

"Exactly," Jeremy nodded. "And I just happen to know where the gym is located."

They arrived at Fortree Gym, which looked more like a tall pyramid, made out of gray bricks and had a long, steep staircase to the top. Two statues of a Charizard and Skarmory guarded the entranceway. Jeremy, Angelina, and Christina stood at the base and looked up toward the top.

"Ready for your next gym battle?" Christina asked.

"I sure am!" Angelina said, confidence filling her voice.

"Well," Jeremy said, "let's climb to the top!"

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
To listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!  
This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.**_

_**Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

The top of the pyramid was flat, with two metal beams that stood high and tall above the ground and reached for the sky. The field looked like a normal battlefield except of the metal beams, which seemed to be in place of the opponent's boxes.

"So, where's the gym leader?" Angelina asked.

"Who's there? May I help you?" called out a female voice from behind the trio, a woman in her early twenties with long purple hair and gray-ish blue eyes walking from out of a door that led inside the building. She wore a blue and yellow-lined aviation hat, a blue one-piece suit over a long sleeved, white and blue striped shirt and white pants, blue shoes, and gloves. She was joined by a young man with short silver-blue hair and sky-blue eyes wearing a purple pinstriped suit.

"Who's that?" Christina asked.

"That's Winona, the Fortree Gym leader," Jeremy replied.

"No, she meant him," Angelina said, pointing to the man. "He looks very familiar…." then she gasped, "It's Steven Stone!"

Steven chuckled, "You're right. It's been a long while," he said, approaching the group with Winona.

"What're you doing here?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, to tell the truth, I was out exploring the Scorched Slab cave, though I wouldn't mind watching Winona's next defeat," Steven bluntly answered.

Winona shot him an annoyed look. "That's nice.…" she muttered, as Angelina and friends sweatdropped, she turned to them. "Hello Jeremy, it's good to see you again."

"Yeah, it's nice to see you, too!" Jeremy said.

"And whom are those two?" Winona asked, pointing to Angelina and Christina.

"They're my friends and traveling companions," Jeremy explained.

"Hi, I'm Christina."

"Hello," Angelina said, reaching out her hand. "I'm Angelina Murakami and this is Wonka, my Wynaut. It's nice to meet you."

"Wy, wynaut!" Wonka greeted from Angelina's backpack.

"Cute! It's nice to meet you, too," Winona said, taking Angelina's hand and shaking it. "As you know already, I'm Fortree City's gym leader and holder of the Feather badge."

"I'm Kanto League's Master and traveled from Pallet Town to challenge you to a gym battle." Angelina said confidently.

Winona smiled, "Well, you came to the right place! I accept your challenge."

"Thank you, Winona," Angelina said, bowing in respect and thankfulness.

"Sure," Winona said, pointing toward one of the metal beams, which seemed to be the opponent's box, "Just go over toward that platform on that metal beam and it will take you up to our battle."

Angelina nodded and began walking up to the railed platform. She then stepped into the opponent's box and closed the railed door that lead into the box. Angelina then felt the ground under her quiver under her feet and looked down. She saw that the box was rising up the side of the beam and into the air. She also saw Winona was on the other side, in the other box, also rising above the ground. The boxes stopped at about fifty feet above the ground, where the wind was becoming wild and free. Angelina could also see Jeremy and Christina from her point of view and waved to them.

"I'll referee then," Steven said, taking his place on the side of the field.

"No problem," Winona shouted from the other side. "Are you ready, Angelina?"

"Yes, I am!" Angelina exclaimed, with confidence burning in her eyes.

"This will be a three-on-three Pokemon battle, no time limits. The challenger may shift Pokemon, but the leader may not." Steven announced.

"Okay, Pelipper you're up!" Winona called out, throwing a Pokeball. In a blaze of white light, a white-and-blue pellican-like Pokemon emerged onto the field; his large mouth producing a loud, shrill sounded battle cry.

"Let's go, Shadow!" Angelina also threw a Pokeball, her Absol appeared from the white light and landed onto the field; glaring at the water-bird Pokemon and went into a battle stance.

"Wyna!" Wonka cheered from Angelina's backpack.

"Pelipper, use Shock Wave!"

Pelipper's body began glowing a bright yellow and then released powerful lighting bolts, streaming across the field toward Shadow.

"Shadow, use Protect!"

Absol surrounded itself in a golden aurora, deflecting off the Protect attack.

"Pelipper use Water Gun!" Winona commanded.

Pelipper opened its mouth and released a concentrated blast of water at Shadow.

"Dodge then use Quick Attack!" Angelina called out.

Shadow veered to the side as the fired stream of water barely missed. He then charged at Pelipper with a white trail.

"Pelipper, fly up and use Mist!" Winona ordered.

Pelipper flapped its wings and took flight, exhaling a thick mist as Shadow skidded to a stop.

'_**Time to take action!'**_ Angelina thought cheerfully. "Shadow, use Razor Wind!" she ordered.

A strong whirlwind formed as the mist that enveloped Pelipper dispersed, revealing the white-and-blue water bird. He was caught in the twister, struggling desperately trying to escape the vortex.

"Pelipper, get out of there!" Winona urged as Shadow's scythe-like appendage glowed.

Shadow then thrust her head in Pelipper's direction as razor like wind hacked and slashed at the opposing Pokemon.

"Great, now Taunt!" Angelina ordered.

Shadow boasted about his skills, angering Pelipper.

"Well played.…" Winona commented. "Pelipper use Wing Attack!"

Pelipper took flight once more and charged at Abby with glowing wings.

"Shadow, use Double Team!" Angelina commanded as Shadow created illusions of himself. Pelipper hit an illusion as it disappeared.

"Pelipper use Hydro Pump to find the real one!" Winona confidently called as Pelipper shot a high-powered stream of water at Shadow's illusions. Before long, Pelipper eliminated all of Shadow's illusions, leaving Shadow nowhere in sight. "What!? Where is he?"

"Shadow, use Slash!" Angelina ordered as Shadow appeared and swiped at Pelipper with outstretched claws, landing gracefully onto the ground.

"Pelipper, get up!" Winona urged as Pelipper recovered from the attack.

"Okay Shadow, end it all with Bite!" Angelina called as Shadow charged at Pelipper once again. He then bit down on one of Pelipper's wings as he squealed with pain. Pelipper then blacked out, mostly from inflicted damage as Shadow backed away triumphed.

"Pelipper is unable to battle. Absol wins." Steven declared as Wonka cheered loudly.

"Great job, Pelipper." Winona praised, returning her Pokemon and taking another Pokeball from her belt. "Go Swellow!" she said as her shiny-colored Swellow emerged onto the field.

"Okay Shadow, your part's over!" Angelina recalled her Absol and took another Pokeball from her belt and threw it. "I choose you, Chocolate!"

In a flash of white light, the female Pikachu appeared, her red cheek sacs crackled with power. "Pika!"

"I see you're using a type advantage…. How predictable," Winona muttered. She looked at her Pokemon, "All right, Swellow! Let's go show them the power of flight!"

Swellow, already in the air, glared daggers with his sharp, beady eyes into his opponent's own dark-brown orbs.

"All right Chocolate, let's clip that Swellow's wings with your Spark attack now!" Angelina commanded.

Chocolate nodded and sprinted towards the Swallow Pokemon, her cheek-sacs sparking with electric power. She jumped and aimed for the Swellow, only to have the bird-Pokemon dodge at the last minute by flying up just out of Chocolate's reach. Chocolate was quick, but Swellow was quicker.

"All right now Swellow, use Aerial Ace!" Winona countered back.

Swellow chirped reply and dove down towards the Pikachu in a blur of shiny feathers. With a swipe of his talons, he left a deep gash across Chocolate's stomach. Chocolate gave out a cry as she was thrown across the field from the powerful blow.

'_**That Swellow is fast so it can probably dodge most of Chocolate's attacks,'**_ Angelina thought. _**'Is there anyway to slow it down….?'**_

Winona took advantage of Angelina's hesitation by attacking again. "Now Swellow, Steel Wing!"

Swellow flipped backwards in the air and flew towards Chocolate, its wings glowing a steely-silver as its grew with power. He flew past her with his wings outstretched, smacking Chocolate right at the head. The Pikachu's stumbled, her head spinning from the hard hit but not knocked out just yet. She growled yet again as the Swellow flew circles around her.

"Chocolate, follow Swellow's flight pattern and use Shock Wave!" Angelina instructed, her eyes sparkling with nervousness and fury.

Chocolate (with her cheek-sacs still crackling) followed Swellow flight pattern with watchful eyes. Swellow seemed to fly slowly at one point in her circle and seemed to speed up at certain points in an oval-shape pattern. With a small squeak, precise timing and careful aiming, a small jolt of electricity shot out of her skin and into the air at an alarmingly fast rate, looking for a target. The Pikachu's aim was true for the thunderbolt hit Swellow straight and true. He chirped in agony as his wings were clipped together and he fell to the ground from the powerful jolts of electricity that ran through his body.

Angelina took advantage of Swellow's slow speed. "Hurry Chocolate, and use Quick Attack now!"

The Electric Mouse Pokémon nodded and dashed towards the fallen Swallow Pokémon and head-butted it, sending her flying into the metal beam beneath Winona.

"Are you okay Swellow?" Winona asked worriedly as the Swellow slid down the metal beam.

Swellow twitched for a minute before slowly hovering back into the air. He nodded and flew back towards the battlefield, his determination growing with each passing second.

"That's it Swellow!" Winona cheered. "Use Wing attack now!"

Swellow flew at a quick speed as if he weren't hurt before and dove down towards the awaiting Pikachu.

"While he's close Chocolate, Shock Wave again!" Angelina quickly countered.

Chocolate stood her ground and waited for the oncoming Swellow, her eyes narrowed, her electric energy charged up for her next attacks. As soon as Swellow's wings grazed the Pikachu's body, she let out a powerful jolt of pure electric power, shocking the Swellow from the close range attack. The dirt kicked up from the amazing power the Shock Wave let out. When the dirt settled back down, everyone saw that Chocolate stood her ground triumphantly while Swellow fainted from the blast.

"Swellow is unable to battle. Pikachu wins!" Steven announced.

"Wynaut, wy, na!" Wonka cheered as Winona returned her fallen Pokemon.

"You deserve a good rest Swellow…." Winona praised, taking another Pokeball from her belt.

"Go Skarmory!" the strong, metallic bird-like Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light. It instantly took into the air and despite the heavy looking armor on its wings, it flew quite smoothly.

"Great battle, Chocolate!" Angelina praised, recalling her Pikachu; then taking another Pokeball from her belt and threw it out. "I choose you, Precious!"

In a burst of white light, Angelina's evolved Skitty appeared; the Prim Pokemon (Delcatty) instantly licking her paws, grooming them. She looked up at her opponent and with a small smile on her face, she stretched her back, getting rid of the cricks.

"Well, this is new!" Winona commented.

"Yes," Angelina smiled. "Okay Precious, lets start things off with Sing and bring the Skarmory to dream land!" she commanded, feeling exhilarated with her battle.

Precious mewed as a battle cry and closed her warm dark-brown eyes. A small hum came up from the depths of her throat, sounding both peaceful and serene. Jeremy, Christina, Steven, Winona and Angelina yawned tiredly while Wonka fell asleep and Skarmory dropped down from the skies snoring all the way.

"All ri…. ght!" Angelina yawned and tried to rid herself of tiredness by blinking twice. "Use Assist now, Precious!"

Precious nodded and glowed a bright red color, a Pokéball on Angelina's belt doing the same. With a deep inhale of breath, Precious exhaled a icy cold jet of water; a Water Gun attack courtesy of Spritz. Skarmory's body was blown off the battlefield as it collided with the metal beam that was on Winona's side. It instantly woke up from its slumber by the powerful impact and took to the skies, seemingly not affected by the attack.

"That Skarmory has pretty good defense . . ." Angelina muttered out loud as Precious's head followed Skarmory's flight.

"Skarmory, dive down and use Aerial Ace now!" Winona demanded as Angelina stalled the battle.

Skarmory's battle cry rung throughout the gym as he dove down, his target, the awaiting Delcatty. Precious's eyes widened as the Armor Bird Pokémon came closer and closer.

"Hurry Precious!" Angelina countered. "Jump up and land on Skarmory's back…. now!"

Precious nodded and jumped up, missing Skarmory's talons by a hair before landing on its back. Skarmory, angry with the intruder that was trying to get a free ride, flew quicker than usual, trying to get Skittles off its back. Skittles somehow though clung on by digging her sharp nails into its back and biting down on the Skarmory's neck.

"Flip upside down to get that Delcatty off!" Winona instructed.

"Wait for it…." Angelina murmured.

Skarmory bellowed a mighty roar before turning upside down and flying on its back. Despite the Delcatty's efforts, she fell short literally and began to careen down towards the battlefield.

"Now Precious! We've been practicing this one! Ice Beam now and give it all you got!" Angelina shouted triumphantly, her hazel eyes fixed straight on her falling Pokémon.

Precious took a deep breath and shot out a powerful light blue beam of ice. Her aim was straight and true as the Ice Beam shot down the Armor Pokémon, freezing it in a block of ice.

Skarmory couldn't move its wings after this and dropped down towards the awaiting ground, just like Precious. Precious quickly flipped back onto its feet before landing, only getting a little bit hurt from the fall. Skarmory though was unlucky as the block of ice exploded on impact as it hit the floor, sending ice shards everywhere. The Armor Pokémon finally fell, defeated.

"Skarmory is unable to battle. Delcatty is the winner! The winner is Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town!" Steven declared.

"YES!" Angelina cried as Wonka copied her actions while Jeremy and Christina cheered from the ground. "I knew that cat-like Pokemon always landed on their feet!" her platform descended and she ran up to pet her Pokemon gratefully. "We won, Delcatty! Thank you!"

Winona recalled her Skarmory and smiled; her platform descended as Angelina gave a final pat to Precious and recalled the Pokemon to its Pokeball.

"Angelina, your battling spirit soared higher than I expected and I'm glad to have battled you." Winona said, she placed something in Angelina's hand. "You deserve this. Congratulations!"

Angelina looked to see Winona had given her the Feather Badge, a grayish-blue badge that looked a feather in the wind. A sense of pride and excitement filled her. "Oh wow, thank you!" she awed, just as Steven approach them.

"I have to leave," Steven said, then turned to Angelina. "Didn't think you'd have a strategy like that, but I'm amazed. Hopefully I'll battle you in the Hoenn League."

"Me too, Steven." Angelina smiled.

Steven gave his final farewells and left on his Skarmory that he released earlier. Angelina and friends then waved goodbye to Winona and departed the Fortree Gym; now that Angelina had her sixth badge, she was only two badges away from the Hoenn League, where she would face more trainers and hopefully the Elite Four and the Hoenn Champion.

**§To Be Continued§**

So Angelina earns her sixth badge and Steven Stone came by in the meantime! Thanks for reading, I'll update again real soon! Comments appreciated!


	41. Shadow's Goodbye

Thanks for the reviews! Well, here's the next chapter! It's not based on an episode, but it has my ideas. I don't own Pokemon! Enjoy!

**Chapter 41: Shadow's Goodbye**

After her battle with the Fortree Gym leader Winona and earning her Feather Badge, Angelina and the others left the forest-city and began to make their way toward Route 120 and their next destination: Lilycove City.

"Hey guys, I forgot to mention something before we left Fortree." Jeremy said.

"What is it?" Christina asked.

"Well, when Angelina was waiting for her Pokemon to recover at the Center after the gym battle, I got a call from Drew. He was wondering where we were in Hoenn." Jeremy explained. "I told him we were heading toward Lilycove. He, apparently, just won a ribbon from the Rubello Town Pokemon Contest and was going to head toward Lilycove maybe for the next contest. So now he wants us to meet up with him at Lilycove."

"Oh great!" Christina said. "What do you think, Lina?"

"It's fine," Angelina said, smiling. "It'd be nice to see him again."

"Yeah," Jeremy said. "and I think Drew would like to see you again, Angel."

"He does?" Angelina asked.

"I think Drew has a small crush on you, Angel," Christina whispered, with a small giggle in her voice.

"Please, he rarely shows interest with the girls he meets," Jeremy said, who was listening into Christina's whisper.

"Hey! This was private!" Christina said, gently pushing Jeremy away.

Jeremy just laughed and began running up ahead and yelling behind him: Better hurry up!"

"Hey! Hold up!" Christina shouted, running after the blonde-haired guy.

"When will they ever learn," Angelina sighed, then jogged along the path.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!  
This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
Because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

Angelina, now realizing she was left behind, began calling for Jeremy and Christina. No one was replying her calls.

'_**Great, I lost them….'**_ Angelina thought. She decided that maybe the two had ventured off already ahead to Route 120. So with nothing to lose, Angelina began to run toward the route….

Once Angelina reached it, she saw that her adventures would require her to cross a monstrous forest of tall grass. She decided it was time to mow down a path. So, grabbing one of her Pokeballs and throwing it, Angelina called out: "Shadow, I choose you!" the Pokeball opened and her Absol appeared.

"Ab-sol!" Shadow called out.

"Shadow, use Cut to mow down this grass!"

Shadow nodded and rose up its sickle appendage, now beginning to softly glow. It was about to swing its head down, until it stopped. It just stood there for a moment and then its sickle's light faded away.

"Shadow?" Angelina asked. "Are you all right?"

Just then, a rustling in the grass caused Angelina and Shadow to stare into the thick brush. Poking its head out of the grass, another Absol, but this one looking like a baby Absol, was quietly staring at the trainer and her Pokemon with big, bright, red eyes.

"Aww…" was the only reply that escaped Angelina's lips, "it's a baby Absol."

Angelina gently went up to it and placed its hand out to touch the young Absol.

"Hi little guy," Angelina said quietly, trying not to startle the young Dark Element.

The young Absol, seeing a human coming up to it, became startled and made a mad dash back into the grass, crying out while running away.

"Wait," Angelina said. "I…."

Suddenly, flashes of white light slammed into the ground before Beka from the grass, causing dirt to fly and causing Angelina to shield her hazel eyes with her arms. Once the dirt had settled down, Angelina looked up to see a group of five Absols before her. They had their teeth bared, their sickles glowing, their body's in a position to bound, and their eyes filled with a burning anger.

'_**They must think I'm an intruder and was planning to hurt their young Absol,'**_ Angelina thought.

Angelina looked down to see her Absol had jumped in front of her, and began speaking to the other Absols in a frantic voice, as if to explain what was happening. The other Absols, after listening to Angelina's Absol, relaxed from their threatening poses and their sickles stopped glowing.

'_**Did it work?'**_ Angelina thought.

One of the Absols came up to Angelina's Absol and started at it. It then closed its ruby eyes and lowered its sickle down toward Absol. Absol nodded and closed its eyes as well, and lowered its blade as well. The two sickle appendages touched each other in the air.

'_**That must be some kind of greeting,'**_ Angelina said, watching this awing sight of Pokemon courtesy being played out.

The two Absols then raised their heads back up and opened their eyes. The wild Absol that gave Angelina's Absol the greeting nodded to the other Absols behind it. The other wild Absols surrounded Angelina's Absol and seemed to have started a conversation with it.

Angelina continued to watch the group of Absols until she was startled by another sound from behind.

"So I see Shadow might've found friends in its own kind," Jeremy said.

"Yeah, I think so," Angelina said, turning to Christina and Jeremy.

Angelina then turned back to her Absol and the others. She had never seen Shadow this happy before and she wondered…. is it time to say good-bye?

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Shadow…." Angelina said, looking down at her Dark Pokemon.

Shadow turned to its trainer, who heard its name being called. It saw its trainer head was slightly down, and her bangs of her red hair overshadowing her hazel eyes. Shadow felt a slight shiver run down its back; it knew something was wrong with its trainer. It gently walked up to Angelina and continued to stare into her shadowing eyes.

"Ab-ab?" Shadow asked its trainer.

"Shadow," Angelina said again, this time with a shaking tone in her voice, "do you…. want to stay here with the other Absols?"

Shadow's head cocked in curiosity to her question.

"Angel," Jeremy broke in, "what are you.…"

"Shadow," Angelina said, whose body was now shaking with her voice, "I raised you from an egg and trained you into a strong Pokemon, but…. I never thought we'd run into a group of your kind, and.… if you want to stay…."

Angelina lifted her head up, showing a weak smile on her face and yet, her eyes were glowing in sadness as streams of tears rolled down her face….

"….you can.…"

With that, Angelina broke away into a run. Jeremy and Christina watched in shock as Angelina began to disappear down the trail ahead. They then ran after her, calling for her to come back. Angelina's Absol stood remaining in its same place…. its ruby eyes filled with crystal tears as it watched its trainer run off….

'_**Absol.…'**_ Angelina's thoughts pierced through her mind like a frozen dagger, _**'Shadow…. I'll miss you so much….'**_ Thoughts of Shadow filled Angelina's mind…. the time they first meet, right after Absol first hatched from its egg, so fresh and alive.…

_**12345(FLASHBACK)12345**_

_**Ten-year-old Angelina Murakami and Goldenrod City's gym leader Whitney were fixated on the white-colored egg with black spots. Their eyes followed every new crack that formed, their hands held together in excitement. After a bit more shaking and cracking, a piece of the egg finally broke off. It chipped away and slid down the left side of the egg, falling to the floor. After that, a few more pieces fell, until the top was off. Whitney and Angelina stared at the opening intensely, waiting for the Pokemon to emerge. Finally, after a short period of time that seemed like a century to the girls, a small head popped up.**_

_**The head was made up of two colors. Milky white fur that surrounded a shale-grey colored face. A long appendage, sharing the color of the face, emerged from the side of the Pokemon's head, which Angelina thought was some sort of horn or something. An ovular gray shape also sat in the center of it's forehead. The Pokemon took it's first glance at life and the world as it's eyelids parted and two ice-blue eyes took in color and light for the first time. The small Pokemon let out a small yelp as the light harmed it's eyes on first impact, but then it was used to the brightness. Still confined in the shell, the infant moved it's tiny legs, breaking away more of the shell. When it finally emerged, the girls could see the whole Pokemon.**_

_**The rest of it was milky white as it's head was, from it's neck down to it's four thin legs which it used to stand. A bushy white mane stretched down from the base of it's neck as well. A grey blade-like tail emerged from it's backside, and similar colored paws and claws emerged from the bases of the Pokemon's white ankles. It sat down on the grass, feeling it's texture for the first time, and yawned. It then looked at Angelina, and cocked it's head. Angelina had been staring in awe at the Pokemon the entire time, and yet had no idea what it was. She quickly unclasped her hands from Whitneys' and into her backpack, retrieving her Pokedex and aimed the sensor at the Pokemon. The mini-computer sprung awake and the screen flashed, showing the Pokemon that sat before her.**_

_**"Absol, the Disaster Pokemon," the Pokedex said. "This dark type Pokemon is very defensive and introverted, and are very difficult to catch. In the wild, they try to stay away from trainers in fear that they will be caught." The Pokedex continued to show Absol's picure for a moment or two, and then shuts off.**_

"_**Wow, a Dark Type Pokemon." Whitney awed. "It's so cute, its no wonder they're so hard to catch! You're so lucky!"**_

_**  
"Yeah, I know," Angelina agreed. "But at least I got this one on it's first day being alive!"**_

_**Overly excited, Angelina reached forward and picked up the baby Absol, and brought her in front of her face. "Hi, Absol!" she said cheerfully.**_

_**Absol cocked his head again.**_

_**"I'm Angelina! I'm going to be your trainer, and friend, from now on," Angelina told the dark type. "And…. I think I'll name you…. Shadow. That okay?"**_

_**Absol stared at Angelina for a moment, and then licked Angelina's face. Angelina laughed and a look of sheer happiness spread across Absol's dark face.**_

_**"This is just awesome!" Angelina said, she simply could not contain her happiness. She drew Absol close to her in a hug, and the baby Pokemon licked her again.**_

_**12345(END FLASHBACK)12345**_

'_**Absol.…'**_ A trail of crystal tears, the tints slightly illuminated in an emerald green aurora flowed behind Angelina like the gliding wind from a departing angel's wing.

Just then, something caught Angelina's foot, a giant tree root that stuck out, and caused the trainer to fall hard into the dirt. Pain filled her chest, both physical and emotional. She lay on the ground, panting and trying to hold back tears, but they would not stop flowing from her now hazel eyes. Though she previously lost her step-mother, she now lost a best friend.

'_**Shadow.'**_

"Angelina!"

Came the cries of Jeremy and Christina, as they ran up to Angelina. Angelina could hear their footsteps beside her and then felt their hands wrapping around her arms. She let then lift her up to her feet, knowing what might come next.

"Angelina, are you crazy!" Jeremy said, almost yelling at her, "Why did you do it?"

"Because Shadow would be much better without me…." Angelina yelled, beginning to cry even more.

"Lina," came Christina's voice, "why are you thinking like this? Shadow loves you!"

"But Shadow would be better off in the wild without me," Angelina said, "I raised Shadow from an egg, but it originally belongs in the wild…"

"But Angel," Jeremy said, "if you were going to let Shadow be set free, why did you run away from it?"

"Because," Angelina said, covering her gloved hands over her eyes, trying to hold back her tears, "When I have to say goodbye to friends at the end of a journey, I grew sick of being the one to be told 'It's over,' and since I knew Shadow would want to stay here, I just tell it good-bye and leave before I got hurt more, but now…" she dropped to her knees, holding her chest in her shaking arms and closing her eyes to block out the tears, "I feel more horrible than ever…."

Angelina cried even harder and louder, with Christina and Jeremy to only look down pitifully at their friend.

"Angelina," they simply said.

Just then, Angelina felt a soft coolness over her shaking form. She lifted her head and opened her eyes. A shadow had over come her. She turned and looked up behind her. There, standing in the glow of the now setting sun was Shadow, its form sturdy and strong, its eyes gleaming with brightness.

"Sh…. Shadow?" Angelina muttered softly, in a questionable tone.

The other group of wild Absol was behind Angelina's Absol. The tiny Absol that they meet earlier bounded beside Angelina's Absol and looked up at it with bright eyes, as if it was wondering where it might be going. Angelina's Absol nodded to the young one and lowered its blade. The young Absol lifted up its tiny blade and they both touched blades. After this action, Angelina's Absol nodded to the others and then began to run toward Angelina.

"Lina," Christina said, "it's not going to leave you…. it wants to come back and travel with you!"

Angelina saw Shadow coming towards her. She felt so hard on herself that she would falsely accuse her own friend to abandoned her and was sorry for leaving her Absol behind, but yet, the warmth of knowing her friend wanted to continue its journey with her and be with her, gave her a bright face of joy. Angelina climbed to her feet and ran with arms wide open toward Shadow.

"SHADOW!" Angelina cried out.

"Ab-ab!" Shadow cried out her.

Shadow landed into Angelina's arms and caused them to both go down back to the ground, but Angelina didn't care. She wrapped her arms around Shadow's neck and buried her face into its bushy white collar. Shadow was gently brushing its black face into Angelina's and licking away all of her tears that had filled her face. Jeremy and Christina watched with a great deal of happiness to see that their best friend was not going to loss her Pokemon friend, and will always be with her until her journey's end….

**§To Be Continued§**

I thought this chapter was kinda sad, but good in a way too! Thanks for reading! I shall return with the next chapter soon!


	42. A Pokemon Safari

I'm back, guys! Thanks for the reviews! So here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 42: A Pokemon Safari**

Last time, Angelina and friends traveled back to Fortree City when Ash was attacked by Damien's Scyther. Three days after Ash was fully recovered, he and Angelina's separate journeys were now continued toward their destination of Lilycove City.

"I'm bored!" Christina whined, sitting on a couch inside the Pokemon Center. "When will Drew get here?"

"Calm down," Jeremy told the little girl. "You're just being impatient, and it won't be much longer."

Angelina walked toward them; cradling her Wynaut in her left arm and holding a green-and-blue Pokeball in her right hand. "Ready to go in a Friend Ball, Wonka?"

"You're finally putting Wynaut in a Pokeball?" Jeremy asked, somewhat surprised.

"Well its just getting to be too much trouble to have him following me around all the time..." Angelina sighed. "Well here goes nothing."

Angelina pushed the button on the front of the green-and-blue pokeball with her thumb. The Friend-Ball opened up, and a red beam shot out and struck Wonka. The Wynaut then was pulled into the Friend-Ball as if part of the beam. The device shook in Angelina's hand for a brief moment as Wonka was startled at first, but as Wonka relaxed and stopped struggling the pokeball stopped shaking and locked shut.

Once Wonka was sealed in the pokeball, Angelina held out the Friend-Ball and pressed the button again. The device opened up, releasing Wonka after it had just been captured. Wonka peered around curiously, not sure what to make of the whole experience of being put in a pokeball and then released so soon.

"So...are you ok with that, Wonka?" Angelina asked him. Wonka paused for a moment, then gave a nod.

"I'm going to put you back in then. Okay?" Wonka nodded again, and Angelina recalled Wonka into the Friend-Ball.

"So are you going to keep Wonka with you?" Christina asked her.

"For now I am. Putting it in a Friend Ball is one thing, but I don't think I'm ready to try putting him in storage just yet." Angelina placed Wonka's pokeball in the final slot on her belt.

"Sounds like a good idea," said a familiar male voice; Angelina and friends were approached by their green-haired Poke-Coordinating friend and Jeremy's little brother, Drew.

"Thanks," Angelina smiled. "So Drew, I heard you won another contest ribbon."

Drew grinned as he pulled out a silver case and opened it, showing off four different colored ribbons. "I received the Rubello Town ribbon a couple weeks ago," he pointed to the green ribbon with a golden thunderbolt-shaped pin. "It was tough competition, but I won in the end."

"Not only with your Roselia because that isn't the only Pokemon you've got," Jeremy informed, while his little brother placed away his ribbon case. This left Angelina and Christina confused,"Drew recently captured a Masquerain and a Flygon."

"Wow, that's great!" Angelina smiled.

"Well thank you," Drew said modestly, flicking away his bangs. "Anyway, it's great to see you guys again! Sorry if I kept you waiting, why don't I treat you all to lunch?"

"Sounds great," Jeremy said. "And it's especially great if you're buying!"

"HEY!" Drew exclaimed, trying to give Jeremy a friendly punch to his shoulder.

Jeremy just laughed and dodged the slug and then gently pushed Drew in child's play. Drew then began chasing after Jeremy out of the Pokemon Center, leaving Angelina and Christina inside with blank stares on their faces.

"They're brothers, but still act like kids," Christina said.

"Well," Angelina added, "Boys will be boys, right?"

And so with shrugs, Angelina and Christina chased after the two male trainers.

_**Pokemon!**_

_**Every trainer has a choice,  
To listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
Winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!  
This dream will last forever,  
This dream will never die,  
We will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
Just know that you and I,  
Will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
Because we always will follow this dream.**_

_**Pokemon!**_

The Hawaiian-style restaurant shack was a perfect scene for the four trainers having a quick bite to eat of the local specialty dishes of Lilycove. Just then, Angelina's Poke-Gear began to ring just as soon as another conversation was being started. She pulled out her Poke-Gear, opened it, and answered:

"Hello, who's calling?" Angelina asked.

"Hey Angelina," said a very familiar voice she recognized well as Marcus's little sister, "Are you guys in Lilycove City by any chance?"

"Yes, we're at.…"

"Don't say where. Meet me at the shoreline."

The Poke-Gear beeped off. Angelina closed it up and quietly placed it back on her side. A pleasant smile showed on her face. She wondered when she was going to meet her again….

"Hey, who was that?" Jeremy asked, finishing off a fry.

Angelina just simply smiled, "Gotta surprise visitor I'm to meet at the shoreline. so let's go." she got up from her seat and turned around, but unfortunately was not paying attention to what was in front of her.

"Wait, Angelina, watch out—"

"Whoa!"

Angelina stumbled backwards as she collided with something. She frowned as she scrambled back up, prepared to complain to whoever had decided to put whatever it was she'd run into in that spot. However, she frowned as she realized she'd run into a _person_ instead of a _thing_. It was a man with brown-hair wearing sunglasses, a red PokeNav strapped around his neck, tan shorts and a blue flowered shirt.

"Hey, you look familiar. Do I know you?"

The brunette man paused, pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. After a moment of silence, he seemed to recognize her, too.

"Oh, yeah. Was it in Rustboro last time?"

"Aha! Scott Enshinda!" Angelina grinned triumphantly.

"Wait, you know Scott too?" Drew blinked.

"Wha-huh?" Angelina blinked back.

There was another moment of silence as the group stared at each other. Finally, Drew scratched the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah. After I managed to win my third contest in Fortune Town, I met Scott. Too bad he wasn't at the one you won, Angelina… But I ran into him again when I was in Rubello Town."

"Well, remember we met him in Petalburg and Rustboro? He was _**mean**_to me both times," Angelina sulked. "Hey! Look at this, Scott!" she shifted, adjusting her bag's strap so Scott could see all five of her badges. He nodded appraisingly, and Angelina almost swore he was smiling for once—almost, anyway.

"Not bad. Looks like you're getting a lot better than what Steven has been telling me."

"No way! Really?"

"But…" Scott paused, looking like he'd just remembered something. "Drew, did you just say 'the one you won'?"

"Yep!" Drew grinned. "Angelina coordinates too!"

"_And_ I'm entering Lilycove's Pokemon Contest," Angelina added proudly. "I hope you're there when I sweep it tomorrow!"

"My, my, aren't we confident?" Scott chuckled. "But that's the whole reason I'm in town, is to watch the Pokemon Contest. Good luck, kids."

With that, Scott sauntered father away into the restaurant. Angelina sighed, shaking her head as he left, and turned back to her friends, mostly. She smirked slightly as she spoke to the young boy.

"So you think maybe he's kinda impressed with me?"

"I dunno," Drew said thoughtfully. "Hey, we better get to the shoreline to meet up with Amber, she doesn't like to wait long."

After they left money for their lunch, the four trainers walked down toward the trail that led toward the beach, which greeted them with the sea spray hitting the huge rocks along the coastline and the sun gently sparkling the blue sea. Wingulls gently cawed and floated along the surf and in the currents, watching the trainers as they walked along the beach. They were soon approached by none other than Amber Trainum. The same girl they had seen awhile back in Dune City with the Amber Bell around her neck.

"I thought you were going back to Pallet Town?" Angelina asked.

"And miss out on the Hoenn League Championships? No way!" Amber exclaimed. "Besides, it's nice to see everyone again."

"Well good, because you're more than welcomed to travel with us," Angelina offered, smiling.

"Why should we call you when we can just wake up and talk to you person-to-person instead? We'd save money after all, and only we should know how much trainers need it these days…."

"Exactly," Amber said. "So how long is everyone staying in Lilycove City?"

"No more than two weeks," Jeremy told her. "That's more than enough to explore the Safari Zone, and there's two Pokemon Contests being held here; the first one is tomorrow, but the last one is next week."

"Then it's settled, let's head on over to the Safari Zone," Angelina said, and everyone then took a Ponyta-drawn shuttle over to the Safari Zone. The rules were explained to them before they were let outside such as an entry fee and not aloud to use their Pokemon to battle the wild ones in the area. They were also given five boxes with handles, each containing thirty green safari balls and a fishing rod before they walked into the Safari Zone.

The area was filled with lush meadows as far as they could see. A mountain range could be seen in the distance as well as a lake nearby.

"Wow, there's Pokemon everywhere!" Christina exclaimed as they group saw the Pokemon running around.

"Come on, Christina." Drew said, starting off in one direction.

"Okay!"

"Wait, where are you going?" Angelina demanded.

"Christina and I are going out on our own for awhile." Drew told them. "You two have fun."

"Wait up, guys! I'm gonna catch some Pokemon here, too!" Jeremy said as walked after them.

Amber nodded. "Come on, it's our chance to be alone for awhile."

Angelina sighed in disgust. "I thought we would do this together."

"Obviously not." Amber watched Drew disappear into the bushes.

"Teddiursa!" A Teddiursa popped out of the woods, followed by several more.

Amber and Angelina tossed out a Safari Ball each at a Teddiursa. Angelina's rocked back and forth like a jumping bean before finally settling and Amber's just popped open. The Teddiursa ran like the hounds of Hell were on their heals.

Amber growled. "Just my luck."

As they continued on their way through the forest….

Amber peered around at the Pokemon. "Oooh, there's a Snubble, Angelina! Why don't you try to catch it?"

"A Snubble? Where?" Then Angelina spotted it. "Oh my! You're so cute!" She said, running up to the Snubble and stopped in her tracks. "I was about to scoop it up, but I heard these critters can bite." She dropped a Safari ball from her pouch. "Oh dear."

Snubble walked right up to it and poked the button, "Snub-ble." The Pokemon disappeared inside of it.

"Oh wow! I caught a Snubble! Oh it's so cute!" Angelina picked up the Pokeball and brandished it Ash style for a few seconds before it disappeared to Professor Oak's Lab. "Now I wanna catch a Remoraid!"

The two trainers ventured deeper into the park. Amber caught a Hoot Hoot and watched the ball disappear to Professor Oak's Lab and Angelina caught a Sunkern when she accidentally tripped on it.

Suddenly, "DOUR!" A pack of Houndour came out of the bushes, surrounding them.

"Doooooom!" The leader of the pack, a Houndoom, made his way to the fore of the group.

"Oh wow!" Angelina pulled out a Safari Ball. "I always wanted a Houndour."

"You've got to be kidding me. There's how many of them?" Amber shook her head. "Well I already have one, but you can try can't try to catch all of them."

Angelina managed to get four Houndour before the Houndoom collapsed while their new Pokemon kept it busy. The dark/fire types ran when their leader was captured.

"That's a…." something dive-bombed them. "Oh no!"

The Skarmory that had dive bombed them snatched at Amber's backpack to try and get her Poke-block case. Another Skarmory went after Angelina's backpack. Angelina tossed a Safari Ball at it, missed, cursed, and tossed another. That one hit and the Skarmory went down.

Amber had similar trouble. "Give me back my Poke-block case!" she shouted as the creature flew off in a Southerly direction.

Angelina sighed in disgust and followed Amber after the steel type.

"Give me back my Poke-block case!" Amber shouted once she reached the ledge that the Skarmory roosted on.

Skarmory regarded Amber mildly and dropped the now empty Poke-block case from the cliff. The top had been torn off and the Poke-blocks eaten.

"Okay, now I'm angry!" Amber shouted as she started to climb the ledge. "I'll get you for that! That Poke-block case was a gift! And I worked hard to make the Poke-blocks in it!"

Angelina sweatdropped and followed her friend. "Amber, you can't take it on alone!" she cried.

Skarmory number one keened and dove straight down from the ledge, followed by several Murkrow. They hounded Amber, but mostly left Angelina alone. Big mistake. Angelina tossed three Safari Balls at the Murkrow, catching them cleanly. The Pokeballs disappeared to Professor Oak's lab. Amber tossed a Pokeball at the fourth, catching that. Amber slipped and fell a foot on the ledge before grabbing Skarmory by the neck. The Pokemon sagged a few feet in the air and flew around in circles trying to dislodge a very angry Amber.

"I put a lot of time and effort into those Poke-blocks! And you're just going to eat them like candy? Well they are candy but still..."

Skarmory finally fell to the ground, unable to fly with Amber hanging from its neck. The two faced off. Amber tossed a Safari Ball. And Skarmory struggled and struggled. But to no avail. The ball pinged and disappeared.

"I got the other one!" Angelina said as she reached Skarmory's ledge. "Hey Amber! There are Pokemon eggs up here! So that's why Skarmory took the Poke-block case, it needed food to feed its mate. Hold on, that' one looks like a Pichu egg! "Oooh, and here's one that looks like a Togepi, and here's a red one, and how could a Skarmory have so many eggs that aren't its own?" she then scooped the eggs into her backpack and slid down the steep embankment back onto the ground.

"Angel! Amber! We heard the commotion!" Jeremy said as he, Drew, and Christina came running.

"Here Amber," Angelina said, as she held up red egg. "I don't know what'll hatch from this, but can you watch it? A pair of Skarmory were guarding it."

Amber picked up the egg. "Wow... its pretty hard, too."

"And Christina, here's one for you." Angelina handed Christina the Togepi egg. "I think that one's got a Togepi inside it."

"A Togepi, huh? Well that's cool." Drew said.

"So what did you catch, Tina?"

"Christina, had better luck than Drew and I did. She caught a Marill, a Phanpy, a Mareep, and a Spinarak." Jeremy said with pride. "Drew caught a Smeargle and a Butterfree. I caught a Miltank and a Quagsire. But I really would have wanted that Spinarak."

"Oh wow! My very own Togepi!" Christina squealed as she pulled the egg close to her.

"And I get the Pichu egg." Angelina said.

"Cool." Jeremy grinned. "Shall we go? We have a Pokemon Contest tomorrow night."

Amber nodded. "I think he's right. We've had enough fun today."

"So what happened with the Skarmory?" Drew asked curiously.

"A Skarmory stole and broke my Pokeblock case, then ate everything in it." Amber rolled her eyes.

Back at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy peered disgustedly at the broken Poke-block case. "You can get a new one at the Lilycove Department Store. I'm sorry, but I don't know how to fix it."

Amber looked ready to cry. "That Poke-block case was a gift!" she sobbed. "How am I going to tell the one who gave it to me that a Pokemon stole it and broke it?"

Nurse Joy just shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just don't know how to fix them."

Drew shook his head too. "Amber, Pokemon can sometimes break things."

"Yeah, but this was a gift!" Amber protested.

"Nurse Joy." said a voice not ten feet away. "May I see it?" a familiar young man asked, wearing a purple pinstripe suit accompanied by a Metagross. "I have some superglue in my portable tool kit. Maybe that will fix it?"

"You can try, Steven." Nurse Joy said with a shake of her head. "I don't think it will help."

"Could you try?" Amber asked. "Oh, so you must be the famous Steven Stone, its nice to finally meet you. I really could use the help. A Skarmory broke my Poke-block case to get to the Poke-blocks in it."

"The Pokemon in the Safari Zone are offered Poke-blocks as lures sometimes." Steven said as he held the pieces up to the light. "The Skarmory was probably spoiled."

"That's one way of putting it." Angelina rolled her eyes. "Thank you for helping us, Steven."

"No problem, let me just get out my Superglue." Steven said.

Angelina, after had seen Amber's Poke-block case was fixed and set to dry, decided to call Professor Oak.

"Hey Professor!"

"Ah, Angelina, good to hear from you. How's your journey coming along?"

"Just great! I earned my sixth Hoenn badge, and now we're spending three days in Lilycove for a Pokemon Contest."

"Aaaaaah, so, you seem to have caught a lot of Pokemon this afternoon. Would you like to say hello to them?"

"Hi everybody." Angelina said cheerfully. Several of the Pokemon she'd caught poked their heads into view and waved. "So, which one of you wants to be in the next contest?" she asked hopefully.

"Might I recommend Skarmory?" Professor Oak suggested.

"I already have a flying Pokemon." Angelina pointed out.

"You do have a point. Can you stick your Pokedex in the slot below the screen?"

Professor Oak asked. Angelina obeyed and after a few seconds a readout on Oak's end beeped. "Hmm... I'd recommend that you take Houndour with you for now, and maybe go with Wartortle."

"You know? I almost forgot about it. Nurse Joy's got my Pokemon for now." Angelina sighed as she sat down in a chair near the video phone.

"You can use cans to do target practice with its water gun." Professor Oak suggested. "Or use a frisbee as a target, kind of like shooting skeet."

"Yeah, that would be cool." Angelina said.

"Oh, my readout also tells me you have a Pokemon egg." Professor Oak inquired.

"That's right, my second egg actually."

"Well I hope you know already that baby Pokemon can learn moves that they couldn't know in their evolved forms. Some that are unique to them. For example, Pichu can only learn Volt Tackle as a baby. And that's an electric move so rare that even Lieutenant Surge in Vermillion Gym doesn't have a Pokemon that knows it."

Angelina whistled appreciatively. "Okay, I think I'll take Houndour." she said after considerable thought. "But I'll definitely be using my Wartortle in the contest."

"You won't regret that decision, Angelina. I don't have to be a psychic to tell you that." Professor Oak assured. "By the way, I've heard that Amber traveled back to the Hoenn Region."

"Someone say my name?" Amber asked, standing behind her friend. "Oh hi Professor! I won't be coming back to Pallet till the end of the Hoenn League Championships."

"That's fine." Professor Oak said. "And you've captured some new Pokemon as well. Would you like to balance your team a little? Remember, you have a lot of Fire-type Pokemon. But the team you have now would be easily beaten by a strong Water Pokemon."

A readout came up on the screen. It read….

_**Amber Trainum  
**_

_**Starter**__**: Charmeleon  
**__**Team**__**: Combusken, Charmeleon, Starmie, Houndoom, Lugia, Arcanine  
**__**Other Pokemon**__**: Sneasel, Rapidash, Teddiursa, Skarmory, Murkrow x3  
**__**Eggs**__**: 1**_

"Plus an egg. If you're not going to enter the Lilycove Contest, I'd suggest you switch Arcanine or Charmeleon for Skarmory or Murkrow. Arcanine has the speed, and Charmeleon's dragon-type attacks have saved you in battle time and again. It's a very hard choice to make I know. But if you're going to be competing in the Hoenn League Championships again, you should pick your team and start training /now." Professor Oak said. "I know its in five months, but some of the Pokemon there are so strong its frightening."

Amber drooped. "I think…. I'll switch Arcanine for Skarmory."

"Good choice." Professor Oak agreed. "Put the Pokeball in the teleporter and we'll get you fixed up."

The switch accomplished, Amber pulled out Skarmory. Skarmory made a dive for Amber's backpack.

"Oh no you don't! You're not breaking that Poke-block case /again!/" Amber growled.

Skarmory was taken aback at her tone and stopped in its tracks.

"That's right. You want Poke-blocks you /ask./" Amber glared at the Pokemon.

Skarmory drooped. Was the girl still angry over that? It had to work with a trainer who was angry at it. But to the Pokemon's surprise Amber pulled out a Pokedex.

"Let's see... Skarmory, you don't mind Pokemon Contests do you?" Amber asked curiously.

Skarmory blinked, and then shook its head.

"Good, because you may be asked to enter the Lilycove Contest with me if I can't get Starmie to do the appeal I want it to." Amber sighed as she looked through the Pokedex. "Shall we go to the practice area behind the center?" she asked hopefully.

Skarmory nodded and Amber turned to the Professor. "Thanks Professor Oak. Now we'd better get training." She sounded very cross at having to trade out Arcanine.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"That Skarmory broke her Poke-block case trying to steal her Poke-blocks." Angelina explained.

"I see." Professor Oak sighed. "Well, do you want to make any switches?" he asked.

Angelina's trainer roster came up on the screen.

_**Angelina Murakami  
**_

_**Starter**__**: Charizard  
**__**Team**__**: Charizard, Pikachu, Absol, Swellow, Gyrados, Delcatty  
**__**Other Pokemon**__**: Houndour x5, Skarmory, Noctowl, Murkrow x3, Wartortle, Lapras, Pidgeot, Golem, Bayleef, Snorlax, Typhlosion, Bellossom, Misdreavus, Delibird, Ivysaur, Dragonite, Milotic, Wynaut, Aron, Volbeat, Fearow, Teddiursa, Sunkern, Snubble, Swablu  
**__**Eggs**__**: 1**_

"If I may say so, your team is pretty stable." Professor Oak replied. "But would you like to switch any?"

Angelina shook her head. "My two favorite types are electric and water. If anything I'd swap Delcatty for something. Although... Delcatty's one of the few Normal-type Pokemon that I like."

"It's totally up to you, Angelina. And can you apologize to Amber for me? I wasn't trying to push her around." Professor Oak commented.

Angelina nodded. "Okay, I think I'll send Delcatty to you and use one of my Houndour."

"Put Delcatty's Pokeball in the teleporter and I'll make the swap." Professor Oak agreed.

Swap accomplished; Angelina headed out to the training field to meet Amber.

"Amber, Professor Oak wanted to apologize for being pushy about the swap."

"Apologize? I like Arcanine a helluva lot more than I like Skarmory." Amber snapped. You could tell how angry she was, Amber rarely cursed. "Who is he to tell me what Pokemon I should or shouldn't have on my team?"

Skarmory began to cry. It cried and wailed and moaned. Then it bowed its head for Amber.

At the same time, Angelina's Charizard came out of its Pokeball and bowed its head as well.

"You want us to get on?" Angelina asked.

Both flying Pokemon nodded.

Amber blinked. She hadn't realized that she'd hurt Skarmory's feelings. "Sorry Skarmory." she gave Skarmory a hug before climbing onto its back. Angelina climbed onto Charcoal's back.

Both Pokemon flapped their mighty wings and headed south.

"So where are we going, Skarmory?" Amber asked curiously.

Skarmory cawed and pointed itself in a straight line towards Mount Pyre.

"You do realize there are a lot of ghost Pokemon there right?" Amber asked, slightly worried.

Skarmory cawed again.

Night descended as the mountain came closer and closer. Finally they landed on a ledge near the top. Angelina gasped, awed at the view. You could see the land on all sides, and yes the sea too. Angelina could see an area of huge trees further to the north, and rain clouds there. To the south was solid forest. Angelina squinted, and could just barely see a huge crater that had to be Sootopolis City.

Then suddenly a group of Pokemon approached them. Among them were Shuppet, Duskull, Poochyena, Vulpix, Wingull and Chimecho. Leading the pack was a pair of white Mightyena with almost glowing blue eyes instead of red and yellow. The pair had kids too, because you could see several white Poochyena among the pack.

_**"Move aside! Move aside! Let me through!" **_Came a voice that pushed through the crowd. A golden colored Ninetails pushed her way through the crowd.

"AAAAAh! A talking Ninetails???" Amber demanded.

"Wicked!" Angelina grinned.

_**"Yes, I speak human languages."**_ Ninetails said impatiently. _**"I asked Skarmory to keep an eye open for strong trainers to help us. And here you are!"**_

"Er…. help you with what?" Angelina asked nervously. She yawned. "I have a Pokemon contest tomorrow I need to rest."

"_**If you do this for us, then I can assure you your choice of the Pokemon here for the contest."**_ Ninetails said with a low growl. _**"I can even enter as your contest Pokemon if you'd like."**_

Angelina's greedy side got the better of her. "Okay, I'm listening!"

_**"Team Magma has been trying to capture the Pokemon on this mountain. If you can drive them away, you can take with you one pokemon of each of the species you see represented here as your reward."**_ Ninetails said calmly. _**"IF you can drive them away."**_

Charcoal flapped its wings and roared loudly.

_**"You say that you can defeat the Magma's single handed? I would like to see you try."**_ Ninetails replied. _**"Their campsite has a shield on it. The first order of business would be to take out the shield generators. But they always see a ground attack coming. We think they have a communications network of Pokemon on the ground that warn them that we're coming. Whatever the reason an air attack would be the best approach."**_

Amber nodded, taking in the information. "We'll do what we can, Ninetails."

_**"That is all anyone can do."**_

"As long as we're back at the Pokemon Center by the time it closes at Midnight." Angelina said with a worried sigh.

_**"This shall not be a problem." **_Ninetails replied.

That was when Amber's stomach started to growl. "Man, I haven't eaten dinner yet."

Two Vulpix dragged a leaf/plate each of berries to serve the two.

"For me? Thank you!" Amber exclaimed as she started eating them. Angelina wasn't so far behind. They called out their other Pokemon and they were served as well. Though Angelina had to remind Houndour about its manners. But the berries were eaten in short order and everybody that couldn't fly was called back. "Okay. What do you want us to do?"

_**"Fly in and use your Pokemon's attacks to take out the shield generators and the sensor net. We'll take care of the Magmas." **_Ninetails said grimly.

Amber nodded. "Sounds simple enough."

Both girls were in the air in short order, streaking towards the magma camp. There were ten grunts and an admin there. And the shield generators were out in plain sight.

"This is almost too easy." Angelina commented as she circled through the darkness.

"I know, it can't be too…." That was when a hapless Jigglypuff approached the shield generators. An alarm went off and the Jigglypuff was snatched up by a machine arm and about to be stuffed in a cage when...

"Charcoal! Hyper Beam that robotic arm!"

"What?" Amber demanded, "That's not what we're supposed to be doing!!"

"I can't stand by and watch Pokemon get caged. They belong free or in Pokeballs. They aren't animals; they're sentient creatures, equals! Do it, Charcoal!"

Charizard blasted a white beam from its mouth, and the arm shattered; the Jigglypuff ran away at top speed into the grass. It hid behind a rock and bawled.

"Where'd that Hyper Beam come from?" Tabitha demanded.

Angelina ordered Charcoal down. The Pokemon dove, taking out three shield generators with its Hyperbeam. Amber and Skarmory took down another three generators and the shielding was gone.

"Sir! There are children riding those Pokemon!" One of the grunts said as he studied the circling Pokemon with binoculars. "A Skarmory and a Charizard."

"Aqua uniforms?"

"Negative."

"Then let me speak to them when they land." The Admin said with a sneer.

Angelina and Amber landed about two yards away from the camp.

"Well well well, aren't we the big strong trainer." Tabitha said. "I'm sure you remember me, won't you join us?"

"I'd rather set free the Pokemon you've stuck in cages!" Angelina glared.

Amber had her Combusken's Pokeball in hand, ready to fight as well. "By law, capturing a Pokemon in a cage or a trap instead of a Pokeball is classified as poaching and is punishable by up to five years in prison." she snarled. "Need I go on?"

"Well well, so somebody's trying to play the Heroine then?" Tabitha snickered. The grunts giggled sycophantly. "There are a lot of alternate color Pokemon on this mountain. And collectors would pay a high price for just one of them."

"Then you've messed with the wrong Pokemon colony." Angelina glared. "And hey, isn't Tabitha a girl's name?"

The grunts laughed at Tabitha now. "Shut up! All of you!"

"Want me to take care of them, Tabitha?" asked a really evil looking Magma, with an uneven red poncho, purple-and-orange hair, and gothic makeup.

"No need, Brody." Tabitha glared. "Fall back and guard the cages."

"That's the first thing that's gonna go!" Angelina growled. "Charcoal, use Hyper Beam to break the bars!"

Unfortunately the Hyper Beam bounced right off.

"Tell you what…. if you fight me and Brody in a double battle then we'll let the Pokemon go. But if you lose, you have to join us." Tabitha said with a sneer.

"We won't lose!" Amber snapped.

**§To Be Continued§**

A lot happens in this chapter, which took me a couple days to plan out and type! Drew and Amber return, the gang runs into Scott again, everyone catches new Pokemon at the Safari Zone, Amber's Poke-block case breaks, Steven Stone returns again, then Angelina and Amber are taken to Mount Pyre and prepare to face off Team Magma. So thanks for reading, comments are welcomed, and I shall return with the next chapter!


	43. Mt Pyre Attack

Yep, thanks again for the reviews! So here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 43: Mt. Pyre Attack**

The situation was impossible. Amber and Angelina and their Pokemon were locked in a desperate battle against Team Magma atop Mount Pyre. Magma Admin Tabitha and his squads, plus Brody, had been poaching wild Pokemon there, including several "Shiny" Pokemon. The Wild Pokemon appeared to Amber and Angelina to put a stop to the poaching. Now Angelina and Amber were locked in a desperate double battle against Tabitha and Brody. If Angelina and Amber win, the captured Pokemon are set free. If they lose, then both Amber and Angelina have to join Team Magma….

Angelina shuddered. Then nodded. "I'm for it!"

"And I," Amber agreed. "I choose, Combusken!"

"And I pick Hydro!" Angelina shouted, calling out her Wartortle.

"Go Ditto!" Brody called out his own Pokemon.

"Mightyena!" Tabitha called out his Pokemon.

"Hydro, start things off with a Skull-Bash attack!" Angelina called out.

"Combusken, attack with Sky Uppercut!" Amber shouted.

"Mightyena attack with Hyper Beam!"

"Ditto! Transform into Wartortle! Then use Hydro Pump!"

Hydro blasted its way through the Hyper Beam and screamed, falling backwards.

The Hydro Pump hit Combusken and sent it flying into a boulder.

"HYDRO!!!"

"NO! MY COMBUSKEN!"

"That was almost too easy." Tabitha said, turning away. "Maxie, Tabitha reporting in. We have two interesting... WHAT THE??"

Combusken was struggling to its feet. "Com..."

Hydro had hidden inside of its shell. Which had mostly protected it from the Hyper Beam. "Warrrrr!"

"Tabitha, what's…."

"Combusken, Fire Spin!" Amber snarled. The communications console melted, stranding the Magma gang. The conversation was cut abruptly short.

The wild Pokemon that had been caged were crying out, cheering for the two girls and setting up a most awful racket. That was when the cavalry arrived. The wild Pokemon poured into the campsite, engaging the Grunts in battle and keeping them from getting to Amber and Angelina.

A flash of white light illuminated Combusken. Angelina and Amber stared in awe and that also silenced the grunt group as well. After the flash, the girls saw standing in front of them a tall, bird-like Pokemon with orange and yellow feathers, a white chest and hair that looked like wings, a red face, clawed hands, and blue/yellow eyes.

"Blaz-i-ken!" bellowed out the evolved Pokemon.

"All right! Combusken evolved into Blaziken!" Amber grinned. "Now you'll pay! Blaziken, take Wartortle and toss it."

"Hydro, use the momentum to power up Skull Bash!"

Blaziken leapt easily fifty feet in the air, tossing Hydro. Hydro flew in a high arch, turned abruptly downward, and dropped.

"Now Blazekick!" Amber pointed at the transformed Ditto.

Blaziken shattered Ditto's transformation and left the shape shifting Pokemon totally exposed. As for Hydro and Mightyena, the Skull Bash knocked Mightyena to the ground with a sickening crack of broken bones. When it struggled to rise, it's left front leg was hanging at a bad angle. It collapsed and was called back.

"It's up to you Brody." Tabitha growled.

"Ditto, transform into Blaziken!" Brody growled.

Ditto struggled to rise, once, twice, three times, beneath Blaziken's clawed foot. It began to glow. A shiver of dread went through Angelina. If Ditto succeeded in transforming into Blaziken this battle would be over. They would stand no chance.

_**Pokemon!  
Every trainer has a choice,  
To listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
Winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!  
This dream will last forever,  
This dream will never die,  
We will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
Just know that you and I,  
Will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
Because we always will follow this dream.  
Pokemon!**_

Angelina made one last desperate move. She unsheathed her Rocket knife from her backpack and charged Brody. Within seconds the knife was pressed against Brody's throat and his arms were twisted behind his back.

"Belay that Ditto. Or your trainer loses his head." Angelina snarled.

"Angelina? NO!" Amber cried in distress.

Angelina shook her head. All battling in the campsite had stopped. Brody had paled beneath his makeup and frozen, eyes wild in fear.

"I mean it Ditto. I /will/ kill him." Angelina glared.

Ditto stopped transforming and pulled back. Angelina, shaking, pulled back from Brody, who fell to the ground with a bleeding mark at the juncture of neck and shoulder.

"BRODY!" Tabitha cried as he rushed to his fallen comrade.

Amber pulled back, eyes round that Angelina would have gone to such measures to secure victory.

Tabitha looked up at Angelina with a knowing sneer. He tossed something to her. "That's a Magma Emblem. It allows you access to our hideout. You're more like us than you know, girl. Just show it to the door guard and they'll let you in. Team, move out! We've got casualties."

Angelina waited, stunned, until the Magmas retreated into their helicopter and fell to her knees, sobbing. "Amber... I just... I couldn't..." she sobbed.

Amber pulled Angelina into her arms, "Shhh... its alright..."

"Jigglypuff?" The Jigglypuff that Angelina had saved peeked out from behind the rock. It hopped up into Angelina's lap and wiped away her tears. "Jiggly."

Charcoal leaned in behind Angelina, covering her comfortingly with his wings.

The other Pokemon gathered around, including Hydro. Angelina looked at the Magma Emblem, holding it in her hands. Then she stuffed it into her pocket. Ninetails had taken out the shield generators guarding the captured Pokemon and was now busy melting the bars of the cages. The two white Mightyena came forward. Along with a two Vulpix, a Shuppet, and a Duskull.

Ninetails shook its head. _**"You did what had to be done. If Ditto had transformed into Blaziken you would have lost, period. The two Mightyena, Vulpix and the Shuppet and Duskull are all looking for trainers." **_Shuppet went for Angelina, Duskull for Amber. Vulpix and Mightyena joined them each. The Pokeballs they had been placed in disappeared for Oak's laboratory. The Golden Ninetails came forward then. _**"We have guarded these bushes for centuries trainers. Each of you, take a Starf Berry. They are your reward. Use them wisely."**_

Then Jigglypuff turned to Ninetails. "Jiggy puff! Jiglly puf jig!"

_**"It would seem, young lady."**_ Ninetails told Angelina. _**"That Jigglypuff would like to join you."**_

Angelina smiled through her tears and scooped up Jigglypuff, offered it a Pokeball.

"I think we'd better go." Amber said with a sigh. "Thank you for the Starf Berry." she bowed politely to Ninetails.

Both girls mounted their Pokemon and flew, their backs to the rising sun, as they returned to Lilycove City.

Jeremy was waiting for them outside the Pokemon Center. "ANGELINA!! Where were you all night? I was worried sick!" Angelina wrapped her arms around Jeremy and started crying again. Jeremy hugged his best friend tenderly. "Shhh... shhh... what happened?" he asked gently.

Nurse Joy poked her head out of the Pokemon Center. "Oh dear... come in please! I'll make tea."

Christina stood with the group clitching her Togepi egg.

"Where's Drew?" Angelina sniffed.

"Funny thing, he went out bright and early this morning, as soon as we opened back up. He said something about needing to find something at one of the stores." Nurse Joy said, puzzled. "But he didn't say where he was going beyond that. Let me make some tea."

Nurse Joy made tea. And Amber explained what had happened, including the part about Angelina attacking Brody with her knife.

"You actually attacked the Magma??" Jeremy demanded, shocked.

"I would have killed him. I was so angry at him..." Angelina sobbed, still snuggled against her best friend. "And you know what Tabitha said just before he left? He turned to me and he said, that I was more suited to Team Magma than I knew... I was so said, so frightened that I would actually attack another human."

Blaziken came out of its Pokeball and rumbled helpfully. It scooped up the bereft trainer and held her close. "Blazi... ken... blaziken..."

"Blaziken said that it wouldn'ta had a chance against Brody's ditto if it had transformed. It's too strong, so he wants to thank you." Amber explained.

That was when the Video Phone rang. It was Professor Oak. "Angelina! Amber! These alternate color Mightyena you've captured are amazing! They've... oh dear..." He took in Angelina's tears. "What happened?"

"Tell you some other time." Angelina said, standing and wiping away her tears.

"Listen, your Pokedexes can tell you your rosters at any time. Just press this button here." Oak held up the button. "It will show you what Pokemon you've captured and how many. Listen, are you still going to use Starmie as a contest Pokemon, Amber?"

Amber shook her head. "I don't think so. Let's see what we've got here." She pressed the button on her Pokedex and the roster came up. It looked something like...

_**(S)Amber Trainum(S)**_

_**Starter**__**: Charmeleon**_

_**Team**__**: Blaziken, Charmeleon, Starmie, Houndoom, Lugia, Arcanine**_

_**Other Pokemon**__**: Jolteon, Salamence, Gorebyss, Tropius, Milotic, Flygon, Seviper, Spinda, Camerupt, Manectric, Minun, Aggron, Delcatty, Exploud, Gardevoir, Plusle, Beautifly, Ludicolo, Linoone, Swampert, Pidgeot, Tyranitar, Stantler, Kingdra, Scizor, Granbull, Girafarig, Espeon, Furret, Meganium, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Dragonite, Tauros, Kangaskhan, Rhydon, Marowak, Gengar, Golem, Persian, Nidoking, Sandslash, Sneasel, Rapidash, Teddiursa, Skarmory, Murkrow x3, Shuppet, Vulpix, Mightyena (alt. col)**_

_**Eggs**__**: 1**_

Angelina reluctantly looked at her new roster charts.

_**(S)Angelina Murakami(S)**_

_**Starter**__**: Charizard**_

_**Team**__**: Charizard, Pikachu, Absol, Swellow, Gyrados, Delcatty**_

_**Other Pokemon**__**: Houndour x5, Skarmory, Noctowl, Murkrow x3, Wartortle, Lapras, Pidgeot, Golem, Bayleef, Snorlax, Typhlosion, Bellossom, Misdreavus, Delibird, Ivysaur, Dragonite, Milotic, Wynaut, Aron, Volbeat, Fearow, Teddiursa, Sunkern, Snubble, Swablu, Vulpix, Mightyena, Jigglypuff**_

_**Eggs**__**: 1**_

"I'm not entering this one." Amber said thoughtfully. "But Angel, what Pokemon are you going to use?" she asked curiously.

Angelina looked over her Roster. "I think I'm going to use my Houndour. Nurse Joy, this may sound silly but do you have any skeet that I could have it use its Flamethrower on?"

"Skeet? What are we? A shooting range?" Nurse Joy wondered. "I'll see what I can find. Houndour need a lot of exercise, more so than other Dark Pokemon its size. I'll see what I can find." she repeated as she headed into the back room.

"You're still going to enter despite being attacked?" James asked, curiously.

"I can be sad later." Angelina replied softly. "There's too much that has to be done."

"Here." Nurse Joy came back with a group of plastic discs, similar to frisbees. "These are fireproof. Some trainer left them behind one day. He was using them to train his Cyndaquil."

Angelina took them. "Thank you." She got up and found a clear place out front of the Pokemon Center. "Okay CRYPTO! COME OUT!"

The Houndour howled as it came out.

"Okay... now what moves does a Houndour know..." Angelina opened up her pokedex. "Crypto, start things off with a Howl attack!"

Crypto let out a loud howl, even leaning back some, nose pointed to the sky. "Okay, now use Bite attack on this disc when I throw it okay?"

Crypto kept its eyes on Angelina as she threw the disc into the air. It leapt, body twisting in an amazing feat of acrobatics and caught the disc, leaving marks in the plastic. It brought the disc back and Angelina got ready to toss.

"Okay, this time use Flamethrower on it okay? I'm going to throw a lot of discs and you need to hit each one."

Crypto's accuracy was uncanny because not only did it show power with its flame, it didn't miss a beat.

"Cool Houndour." a voice said from behind Angelina.

Angelina whirled to find an Aqua in uniform watching her. The Aqua had a cape clipped to her one strap top. Instead of a bandana she wore a comodore's hat. Her boots were tipped in metal. A Sneasel was standing next to her, cleaning one of its paws.

"I'm Duel, a trainer of Ice and Dark Pokemon. I wouldn't mind trading for my Sneasel."

Angelina shook her head. "I'm entering a contest with this Houndour. Besides, its part fire. Not an oceanic Pokemon at all."

"Suit yourself." Duel replied. "I'll see you in the contest by the way." She replied. "See you..." And with that Duel was gone.

Angelina was left totally unnerved by that encounter. "What does she think she's going to do?" she wondered. "And what was an Aqua doing here?"

The afternoon came and Amber decided to enter the contest after all, with Skarmory. Drew was using Roselia. Duel didn't bring out her Pokemon ahead of time. But Angelina's paranoid mind suspected all sorts of icy horrors. Angelina was shaking by the time her name was called. Duel kept staring at her across the room, with a glare that could freeze hearts.

Finally the backstage manager called out. "Duel, you're up next." Duel got up and Angelina's attention turned to the TV.

"Next up is the mysterious ice coordinator Duel. What Pokemon will she choose?"

"Goooo! Sedna!"

Walrein came out of the Pokeball and Angelina felt sick. Walrein were incredibly powerful. Their only real weaknesses were electricity and fighting type moves. Angelina's Houndour had neither. And if their Sheer Cold attack hit it was an instant KO. Angelina shook her head.

Drew also paled. "Roselia and I are going to have a real trouble with that one."

Amber shook her head. "Who is she anyway?"

"A member of Team Aqua." Angelina replied. "I saw her wearing an Aqua uniform this morning, training her Sneasel."

"What would Team Aqua want with a Pokemon contest?" Amber wondered. "It doesn't make sense. They want to expand the water, not battle."

"Maybe she wants to prove a point." Angelina suggested. "I know a lot of Rockets who jockey among each other in displays of power in front of my father. All to establish a strength hierarchy. Basically this Duel trainer is showing off her prowess, both to Magmas and to her fellow Aquas', as well as anybody who's watching the contest. You, out of all of us, have the right Pokemon to beat her. Promise me, that if I lose, you'll go back and beat her in this contest."

"Yes of course." Amber said. "Hopefully my Skarmory knows some fighting moves that would help against her Walrein."

Angelina nodded numbly. Her heart frozen in dred. She had never faced such an advanced Pokemon, and Walrein had a type advantage against her /plus/ it had a higher level.

Crypto drew closer to her worriedly. "Dour..." It said, getting up on its back paws to lick Angelina's face. It curled up on the bench next to her with its head on her lap.

Duel came back in.

"Angelina Murakami! You're up!" a manager said.

Angelina squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and led Crypto out.

"And Angelina and her Houndour are the next to hit the stage. What attacks will they be appealing for us today?" Vivian asked.

Angelina took a deep breath, and with confidence she didn't feel she called out. "Start things out with a Howl attack!" she called.

The howl echoed with triumph and strength through the silent hall.

"And a Howl attack shows the world how confident Houndour is in its strength this contest..."

"Now use Bite!" Angelina tossed frisbee number one.

Crypto leapt ten feet in the air and caught the frisbee with a snap that broke it in half.

"Now that's a strong, healthy bite attack." Vivian told the crowd. "And next..."

Angelina tossed three frisbees. "Okay, now use Flamethrower!"

"Houndour shows off its accuracy by hitting a moving target with its Flamethrower."

Crypto's Flamethrower attack hit each target without fail. Angelina noticed a slight frown on the head judge's face. "Double Team, Crypto!"

Crypto seemed to divide into duplicates.

Angelina tossed one last frisbee straight up. "Overheat!" she called as Crypto turned a deep, deep red before shooting sparkling golden fire at the frisbee. It landed on the ground, smoldering and melted.

The Double Team powered down and the crowd cheered ecstatically. The judges leaned close to each other for a moment before they offered their comments.

"Flawless." Contesta said.

"Very remarkable!" Sukizo added.

"You worked really hard on your appeal." Nurse Joy said with a wink.

10, 8, 9.9…. 27.9 points total.

Angelina nodded silently and led Crypto off the stage. She almost ran into a stranger in the back room; a very tall man with black and white lined hair, having two white pieces flow from the bangs of his head upward in a gentle flow, thin facial hair across the top of his lips and between his lip and chin, and bluish-gray eyes. He wore a black shirt and purple shorts, with black tight stockings and black shoes, a blue and white out-lined, cuffed, sailor-like jacket that flowed over his basic clothing pieces, a white high collar around his neck with pieces of white fabric jagged in front of his chest, and a huge purple jewel that embedded the collar's front.

"Oops, sorry." Angelina said with a shy smile.

The man nodded. "No problem." A very rambunctious Crypto hopped up on its hind legs to try and jump the man.

"Crypto no!" Angelina protested.

"He probably smells these." The man reached into a coat pocket and pulled out a handful of Poke-blocks. "Here you go."

Crypto ate them all right up, barking cheerfully.

"My name's Angelina Murakami. I entered my Houndour here in the contest."

"Yes, I saw your appeal." the man said, running a hand through his grey and white hair. "Unfortunately its a common one among coordinators. That's why you didn't get a perfect score. You'll have to make up for that in the battle round. Why, I even did the same with my water Pokemon when I first started entering contests. Come and sit. I may not have entered this contest, but the judges don't mind if I come around to have a look."

"Err..." Angelina said nervously.

Crypto bounced up onto the bench and curled up with its head on its paws, looking up at the stranger.

"Juan!" Amber called out.

"Amber!" Juan stood and greeted the young trainer/coordinator.

"Wait a minute; you're the recently new gym leader of Sootopolis City, right?" Angelina asked suddenly. "I knew you looked familiar."

"That's right. But I was also a contest coordinator when I was younger." Juan explained. "My Pokemon even took me to the Grand Festival." then he looked back at Angelina. "So I've heard from Steven Stone that the Kanto/Johto Region's League Master is traveling here for the Hoenn League. Would that be you?" He asked curiously.

"That's right. I'm also a contest coordinator in the meantime as well besides the newest pop-singer Crystalline." Angelina explained. "So yeah, and I have one more badge to earn before I challenge your gym for the eighth badge."

Suddenly, something wriggling in Angelina's backpack made her turn and open it. The egg in her bag was glowing!

"Amber, check your pack, quick! I think the eggs we got at the Safari Zone are about to hatch!"

Sure enough, the yellow-and-black egg took shape into a small body. It had large triangle shaped ears, a small lightning bolt tail, and tiny hands and feet. The glow disappeared as a bright yellow rodent with black tipped ears and tail, pink cheeks, and beady black eyes revealed itself.

"Pichu?" it mumbled innocently putting a paw to its mouth

"It's a Pichu! Oh you're so adorable!" Angelina picked up her newly hatched Pichu and hugged it lovingly. Pichu looked at her with confusion, Angelina smiled warmly. "I'm Angelina, your trainer."

Pichu tilted his head to the side. "Chu pi?" he hesitantly mumbled.

Angelina nodded, "I'm going to call you Thunder-Jolt, because you're an electric Pokemon. So TJ for short since you're just so cute!" she said as Pichu just stared at her. Moments later, he brightly smiled and hugged Angelina around the neck.

Amber pulled out her egg to check. "Mine doesn't look ready to hatch just yet."

"I wonder if TJ will know Volt Tackle." Angelina said thoughtfully. "I'm sure it will hatch soon. TJ, can you be a dear and climb into my backpack. You can watch from there, but I don't want you getting hurt after just being born."

"Piii? Chu??" TJ asked, cocking his head curiously. Then his stomach rumbled. "Chuuuu chaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" he wailed.

Angelina dug for the supply of Poke-block she won from the Trick House Contest. "Here, have some Poke-block, it's nice and sweet." she offered a handful to the baby Pokemon.

TJ stopped and seemed to consider the Poke-block. Then he snapped up the handful greedily.

Juan laughed. "Baby Pokemon tend to be bottomless pits." He explained. "And they can't stand hunger."

"You think?" Angelina asked with a sigh as the Pichu crawled into her backpack and fell asleep. "At least he's sleeping now."

"The appeals round is almost finished." Drew pointed. "Juan, nice of you to join us." he said with a stiff nod.

"I came to scope out the talent." Juan explained. "I'm looking for trainers to join my gym. The only requirements are that you have at least a year of experience as a trainer and at least one water Pokemon."

"I've been a trainer for four years and a Master Champion for almost two years."

"Ah, but that still doesn't explain your Houndour's lack of discipline." Juan said unsurely.

That made Angelina's hackles rise. But she knew the truth in what Juan was saying. "Oh /really/?" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"Really. A trainer has to work for years to reach the level of artistry required for winning the Grand Festival." Juan explained. "You don't just waltz into a contest hall and come away with a ribbon. That's why I'm putting the experience bar on my search for gym trainers."

Angelina stood and glared at Juan angrily. "And where do you think the experts come from?" she demanded. "They come from beginners like me. If I didn't decide to enter right away, I'd waste away waiting for the next one!"

Juan regarded Angelina thoughtfully, but his expression betrayed nothing of his thoughts.

Jessie came in then with her Teddiursa. "The crowd loved it!" She sighed in relief. "I don't think I got a very good score though."

"And that was the last appeal, ladies and gentlemen! Now it's time to announce our top four co-ordinators!" Vivian announced.

Angelina turned to the TV and froze as four pictures appeared. She was there, Amber was there, Drew was there... and so was Duel.

**§To Be Continued§**

Yet again, a lot happens in this chapter! Angelina and Amber battle Team Magma, but Angelina threatens to kill to secure victory, and they get new Pokemon. Angelina meets an Aqua member named Duel, and they, Amber, Drew, and Jessie enter the Pokemon Contest. Then, Juan of the Sootopolis City Gym makes an early appearance, and Angelina's egg hatches into a Pichu. Thanks for reading, comments welcomed, next chapter on the way.


	44. Lilycove Troubles

Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Pokemon except for my characters and ideas! Enjoy!

**Chapter 47: Lilycove Troubles**

Last time…. Angelina, Amber, Jessie and Drew decide to enter the Lilycove City Pokemon Contest. They weren't the only ones as an Aqua member named Duel was competing for a ribbon, too. They also met Juan of Sootopolis City, whom was seeking out trainers to help with his Pokemon Gym. Angelina's egg hatched into a Pichu, and then the final four of the contest were announced.

Angelina gulped. "I've got that sinking feeling." she muttered, staring at the screen that show pictures of her, Drew, Amber, and Duel.

"The first battle will be Amber vs. Duel, and the second battle is Angelina vs. Drew." Vivian called out.

Angelina gulped. "You're using Roselia, right Drew?"

"That's right."

"Amber, take out Walrein and watch out for the Sheer Cold attack."

"Battle one, Amber vs. Duel, will the challengers please report to stage one for match one?"

"Don't forget to use some fighting moves! Fire moves won't work on Walrein." Angelina warned. "And watch out for the Sheer Cold attack. If it hits, its all over."

"I will." Amber agreed. "See you!"

_**Pokemon!**_  
_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!  
This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
Because we always will follow this dream.**_  
_**Pokemon!**_

"And the first battle is Amber and her Blaziken vs. Duel and her Walrein! BEGIN!"

"Blaziken! Start things off with a Sky Uppercut!"

"Sedna/you/ start things off with Sheer Cold." Duel told her Walrein.

Sheer Cold was a terrifying move. It was like blizzard multiplied by ten. Blaziken tried to dodge, but no go. Its feet got frozen to the ground.

"Now Walrein! Rollout!" Duel said with a wicked grin.

The rollout attack hit Blaziken dead on, freeing its feet but causing heavy damage to Amber's HP bar.

"Blaziken! Jump and use Blaze kick!"

"Bllaaaaaaziken!!!"

"And when did your Blaziken evolve, Amber? Yesterday?" Duel asked. "My Walrein's been a Walrein for nearly two years now! And it shows! Walrein! Sheer cold!"

Blaziken's blaze kick cut right through the ice attack and left a footprint on Walrein's face.

"Still up to it, Blaziken?" Amber asked worriedly as Blaziken used its fire to deflect the ice attack.

"Blaaaaaaziken!" Blaziken replied cheerfully.

"Walrein! Body slam /again!/"

Walrein charged Blaziken and slammed it, hard. Blaziken stumbled backwards, losing /more/ points.

"This looks bad." Jeremy said worriedly. "Blaziken's fighting moves give it an advantage, and its fire moves can be used for a defense, but its losing too many points trying to block the sheer cold. All it's going to take now is a good, strong water attack and Duel will beat Amber!"

"Aaaah." Christina cried as he shouted down from his seat. "DON'T GIVE UP, AMBER! YOU CAN BEAT HER!!!"

"Walrein, lets finish this up with a Hydro Pump."

"Waaaaaalllllllrein!" Walrein replied as it shot water towards Blaziken with terrifying velocity.

"Keeeee-eeeee-eeeee-eeen!" Blaziken cried out in pain as it went flying back. The last of Amber's points ran out.

Jeremy just stared down in shock. Blaziken showed no attempt to rise. The look on Amber's face went from pale shock to pure hatred in a heart beat.

Jeremy shook he head. "Amber…."

"The next match is Angelina and Houndour vs. Drew and Roselia! Will the contestants please report to stage two for match two?"

"Here comes Angelina." Jeremy pointed out.

Angelina was shaking visibly. Houndour leaned against the young coordinator, trying to give her confidence.

"Okay Drew." Angelina pointed to the center of the stage and Crypto took its place.

"Let's see what you've got, Angelina." Drew said.

"All right I will, Drew." Angelina replied. "I'm going to survive to the final round and, win or lose, I'm going to face Duel."

"Will the contestants please begin!" Vivian said.

The clock began to tick, but for a long moment the two rivals/friends were timeless.

Then Angelina shouted. "Start things off with a Double Team attack!"

"Roselia! Use Petal Dance!" Drew shouted as the green Pokemon spun around, jumped into the air and shot sharply edged cherry blossom petals down at Crypto. The petals went through most of the decoys, but there were too many of them.

"Okay Crypto! Overheat!"

Roselia was blasted and about half of Drew's points went down the drain.

"That was a pretty sweet trick, nailing me midair when I couldn't fight back." Drew agreed. "But this is also a sweet trick! Roselia! Synthesis!"

Almost instantly Roselia landed on its feet, almost totally unharmed. Then the grass Pokemon's right leg buckled.

"Roselia! What's wrong?"

"Looks like Houndour's Overheat has burned Roselia." Vivian said. "How will Drew counter this unlucky turn of events?"

"With Solar Beam, Roselia!" Drew shouted.

Roselia, still on one knee began to glow. The scene was surreal for Drew. He couldn't see the audience on the edge of their seats. He could just see the spotlights on himself, Angelina and the two Pokemon.

"Double Team, Crypto!"

And Crypto divided and disappeared into the darkness, like a black and red ghost.

"Now use BITE!"

"Dour!" Crypto cried as it chomped onto Roselia's arm.

Roselia lost more precious HP.

"Roselia, Tox..."

And then Crypto disappeared into the darkness again.

"Looks like Drew is having a hard time seeing in the dark contest hall." Jeremy commented from where he was watching.

For Drew, the world was spinning every which way. And his head felt horribly light. "Oh no..." He whispered. "Not now..."

"Crypto! Flamethrower!"

"Roselia dodge and use..." Drew couldn't concentrate... what move was necessary to light the place up? "Sunny Day!" he cried at last.

"Uh oh!" Christina said worriedly. "Doesn't Sunny Day strengthen fire type moves?"

"Yes, but it also cuts down the time it takes to power up for a solar beam." James pointed out two seats down. "And it makes healing moves like Morning Sun and Synthesis more powerful."

"Yes, but something's wrong down there." Jeremy pointed out. "Look at Drew, look at his face."

Christina looked. Drew looked kind of pale, and his eyes were squinting to see. He swayed slightly, like he was having trouble standing up. "Drew!" she cried, worried that Drew was showing obvious signs of stress.

"Crypto! Break off your attack!" Angelina shouted, even as the Sunny Day lit up the darkened stage with light.

"Ro? SELIA!" Roselia cried, pointing to Drew and crying out worriedly, jumping up and down and trying to draw attention to its trainer's distress.

"Both Pokemon have stopped and Roselia's started a racket!" Vivian called. That was when Drew collapsed.

"SELIA!!!" Roselia ran into the back room.

"Stop the match!" Juan bellowed as he climbed onto the stage from the audience. "Call an ambulance!"

Drew was twitching uncontrollably on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Juan leaned down to take Drew's pulse. "Erratic." He commented.

That was when Roselia came running back full tilt with Crypto. Crypto had a silver object in its teeth and Roselia was holding some kind of pill bottle.

"Drew!" Angelina cried, rushing over.

Crypto dropped the silver medical chain in Juan's hands. Roselia did the same with the pill bottle.

"Well?" Nurse Joy asked worriedly.

"According to this chain, which he /should/ have been wearing at all times, Drew has epilepsy. My guess? He didn't take his medicine." Jeremy, Christina, Amber, and Duel had come running. Juan shook the bottle. "He ran out. And couldn't get new ones."

Christina shuddered. "Lina, what's..."

"Tell you later, Christina."

"We were traveling with him, is there anything we can do to help?" Jeremy asked.

"Stay out of the way when the ambulance comes." Juan replied. "Judge, I think Angelina's won this match by default. If its true that Drew has epilepsy then he's currently in no shape to battle."

"Seliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!" Roselia wailed, still bawling it put one of its roses to Drew's nose and wiggled it, letting a trickle of aromatherapy out of it. "Ro!" Wiggle. "Ro!" wiggle. "Ro!" It sniffed.

"Roselia's trying to use Aromatherapy to wake him up." Christina said suddenly.

Drew began to stir, still twitching and rather weak. "Oh no..." He whispered softly. "I... I'm sorry I had to bother..."

"You're no bother at all, Drew." Christina said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I tried to find more medicine... but none of the pharmacies I tried take... my... insurance..." Drew shuddered again. "Roselia... don't cry..."

"I'm the one who lost the contest. I'll accompany Drew to the Hospital." Amber said suddenly. "Angelina, good luck." she then turned to face the others. "I'll meet you all back at the Pokemon Center once this is over."

Angelina nodded. "See you there and then."

"Sorry for the disturbance everyone." Vivian said as the medics lifted Drew onto a stretcher. "We'll be taking a ten minute recess." the curtains fell across the stage.

"Christina..." Drew said softly. "Can you take care of Roselia while I'm in the hospital?"

"ROOOOOOOOOOO!!" Roselia wailed, climbing onto the stretcher.

The Nurse Joy scooped up the wailing Pokemon. "Roselia... please... he needs to rest." she pleaded.

Angelina shook her head sadly as Roselia's wails quieted into soft sobs. The Pokemon, instead of going to Christina, climbed onto Angelina's shoulder and cried as Drew was taken out on a stretcher. The wailing woke TJ from its sleep and the newborn Pokemon also began to cry.

Angelina carried TJ and Roselia, both still bawling, back to the greenroom. Juan came in a few minutes later.

"Is Roselia all right?" Juan asked worriedly.

"Does it /look/ alright?" Angelina asked sarcastically. "How's Drew?"

"Drew will be fine Roselia. He just needs his medicine and bed rest. You'll get to see him tomorrow." Juan promised.

"Selia." Roselia said, turning up its nose at Juan.

"I don't think it likes you Juan." Angelina commented.

"I don't think you like me either." Juan pointed out.

"Perhaps." Angelina said simply.

"Ten minute recess is up!" Vivian said over the intercom. "Will Duel and Angelina please report to the final stage."

Angelina stiffened as she stood. But Juan grabbed her by the arm just before she would have come out. "Angelina... what are you fighting for? Don't answer, just think. And whatever you're fighting for, defend it with all the might you and your Pokemon can muster."

TJ climbed onto Angelina's shoulder. Roselia waited at the stage entrance, and Crypto came striding out with Angelina.

Angelina turned to Crypto. "For Drew, okay? Give it everything you've got."

Crypto howled, loud and long, like a wild animal on the hunt. If Angelina were a Pokemon, she'd be glowing with energy.

"I'm sorry to bust your bubble Angelina, buy my Walrein has way more experience than your Houndour. And Houndour's fire attacks will just bounce right of her blubber too."

"That may be, but you'll never know unless you fight me will you?" Angelina asked as Walrein waddled out to its place in center stage.

"What are you fighting for, Angelina?" Duel asked. "I can see it in your eyes. You're running from something, or someone. A trainer who's afraid to face the truth about themselves, their power, or their past; who bathes herself in the bitter water of regret; will /never/ win against me. A truly powerful trainer banishes regret. They focus on the here and now in battle, because if thier minds are preoccupied with wishes for the past, then they will have no future. Walrein, start things off with Blizzard!"

"Crypto! EMBER ATTACK!"

The two attacks collided, warring with each other.

_**12345(FLASHBACK)12345**_

_**Smack!**_

_**Angelina's step-mother was working clay. He made pots and such as a hobby and sold them for extra money on the sideline besides teaching girls to sing and dance.**_

_**Smack!**_

_**The ball of clay flattened with each smash of his large powerful hands. A slab, cut like a Franciscan cross, lay abandoned on the table next to the work place.**_

_**SMACK!**_

_**"Wow Mommy, you're strong..."**_

_**Smack!**_

_**"None stronger, dear. Here's some clay of your own to work with..."**_

_**12345(END FLASHBACK)12345**_

"Clarissa..." Angelina whispered softly.

"What was that?" Duel asked.

"None of your business!" Angelina growled angrily, tears filling her eyes. "Crypto! Double Team!" she called out. Crypto began to multiply, then slipped into the darkness of the stage. "Now use Bite attack!"

"Walrein, Ice Beam at the ground!"

Crypto slipped and cried out as it knocked its jaw together with a frightful crack on the slippery stage.

"Duel has used Ice Beam to slip Houndour out of its Double Team attack and even the playing field some."

"Crypto, back off and use Flamethrower to melt the ice!"

"Walrein, use surf attack!"

Steam covered the field. Suddenly... out of the mist... Crypto attacked! It bit down hard on Walrein's neck and blood trickled across the icy stage.

"Walrein!" Duel cried. "Use your tusks!"

Walrein thrashed around, slashing Crypto across the side.

"Crypto, jump free!" Angelina called out.

"Dour!" Crypto tried, very hard, to get up from where it had collapsed.

"Angelina, this is dangerous!" Juan hissed from the entrance. "Call it off!"

"I won't... I can't give up!" Angelina protested as the steam slowly disappeared. "Crypto! Smog attack!" Angelina shouted. "Then use Faint Attack!"

"What's wrong, Angelina?" Duel's voice came through the smog.

"No motivation? Or are you stuck in the past? Is that what's haunting you? Let go of it all! Unless you shed every single ounce of excess psychological baggage. All that hurt and pain and regret, you will never/ever/ be able to reach your potential as a trainer."

Let it go? Let it go? Just what was she talking about? How could she know all the hurt and pain that Angelina had been through, had seen her step-mother go through?

"Angelina, you're holding back! I want you to hit me with everything! Give it your all!" Duel's voice came through the smoke. "Now clear up this smoke and attack!"

"CRYPTO! FLAMETHROWER!" Angelina called out.

"NO NOT THAT!!" Jeremy cried from the audience.

The Overheat exploded the Smog attack. For a few seconds flaming light blazed in the darkened contest hall. From it's fiery hell came a hound, a hound of hell, aimed right at Walrein. It was Crypto, fangs bared the Pokemon seemed almost ethereal in its fury.

"Houndour survived the explosion without losing any points! If anything it looks even more determined to fight!" The announcer called out. "Walrein has lost a significant portion of its points. With one minute closing on the clock, will Walrein be able to cover the distance in time?"

"Tell me ANGELINA!" Duel called across the distance. "What are you fighting for?"

Crypto howled as it sensed victory near.

Angelina couldn't do a thing. She just froze up. "I..."

"Tell me, Angelina!" Duel asked, looking sad now. Her tone was mournful, almost desperate. "I fight for my father, for his honor and trust and yes, for the strength to aid in his ideals. What do you fight for?"

"Thirty seconds and neither Pokemon has moved! Is Duel going to surrender?"

"It would seem the answer is no. You don't fight for anything or anyone. You just enjoy fighting. And if that is how you live, then you are no better than any other run of the mill coordinator, and deserve to be blasted from the stage!" Duel turned to Walrein. "Walrein, Sheer Cold!"

"Walrein lets loose a devestating sheer cold attack! Can Houndour withstand the barrage?"

The howling wind was deafening. The force of the cold could be felt across the contest hall.

Angelina's shout was lost in the howling winds of the sheer force of sheer cold. So cold that the tears froze on her cheeks like diamonds. But inside Angelina was warm, so warm that she felt her heart would burst apart. She knew now who she fought for, what she stood for. She felt the cold, and she smiled.

Ten... nine... eight...

"CRYPTO! OVERHEAT!" Angelina bellowed, through lips chapped from the cold winds.

Seven... six... five...

A blast of pure fire, as bright and warm as Angelina's heart lanced through the darkened stage. It hit Walrein square on. Four...

Walrein glared at Crypto. Three...

Crypto glared at Walrein. Two...

Walrein wavered, the points gage plummeting to zero. One...

DING DING DING DING!! Walrein collapsed.

"The winner of the Lilycove Pokemon Contest is Angelina Murakami and her Houndour!" Vivian announced.

The lights came on, and Duel extended a hand to Angelina.

"Duel." Angelina said before she went to accept her ribbon. "Thank you. Because of you, I've found a reason to stand my ground and fight."

"That's all any trainer could have." Duel replied. "And it was because you found it that you and Houndour survived that sheer cold. You had fire in your bellies."

TJ perked its head out of Angelina's backpack. "Chuu!" It shook snow from its head. Angelina smiled warmly.

"TJ, sorry you had to go through that. That snow attack was freezing."

"Chuu!" TJ said happily as it leapt into Angelina's arms.

Angelina was then presented the Lilycove Contest ribbon; a purple-and-yellow ribbon held together with a golden pin.

Juan watched as Angelina got her third ribbon from the door to the stage. He hovered there, as if he wanted to go out to greet her, but something held him back. Finally, he turned and walked back down the corridor.

"Roselia..." Roselia tugged Angelina off stage as best she could, pulling her towards the door.

"Okay, okay, we'll go visit Drew!" Angelina said with a nod. "If we can find the Hospital." She spotted a Lady with blue hair in a police uniform, a Growlithe escorting her. "Excuse me ma'am? My friend got taken to the Hospital, can you tell me where it is?"

"Six blocks down, across the street from the Department Store." Officer Jenny replied. "You take the right at Shopper's Way and its right there. You can't miss it."

It was late, the streets were deserted. Angelina and friends moved quickly past the shops and houses and apartments. All was silent, even the Hospital was quiet, until you noticed the background noise, phones ringing, carts moving, people moaning or crying, the beeping of monitors. But very little talk.

"Excuse me, miss." Angelina said as she went over to the counter.

"We're looking for a trainer named Drew. He was brought in with a seizure earlier and had to leave his Pokemon behind."

"Seliaaaa-aaaaaa-aaaaaa!" Roselia wailed for emphasis.

"Chuuuu-uuuuu-uuuuuu!" TJ cried, mimicking Roselia.

"TJ, you be quiet." Angelina warned it.

"Chuu! Chuu! Pi pi pi pipipi chuuuu!" TJ ducked back into Angelina's backpack and hid from a passing nurse.

"TJ, stop it!" Angelina told the wriggling baby Pokemon.

The receptionist noticed the baby Pokemon by now. "Oh how cute!" she squeaked. TJ's huge eyes peeked out from the top of

Angelina's bag. "Oh dear, you'd better go. There's only half an hour until visiting time is over. He's on the second floor in room 203."

"Thank you," Angelina replied quickly before she and the others ran upstairs to the second floor. The door to room 203 was open. Drew was hooked up to the usual array of monitors. "Hey Drew. We brought somebody to see you."

"Roselia!" Roselia hopped up onto the bed, shoving Angelina aside in her haste to get to her trainer.

"Hey Roselia... it's all right... I'm gonna be okay." Drew said with a slow smile. "I just need to remember to refill my medicine."

"Seeeeliiiiaaaaaaa!!!" Roselia bawled.

"How soon will they let you out?" Christina asked hopefully.

"That depends on whether or not I have another seizure." Drew replied. "If I have another one, another two, maybe three days. But if I don't have one then they'll let me out tomorrow, with a higher dose of medicine and enough refills for the next three months." he said this last miserably. "I'm sorry to worry you guys. Who won the contest?"

"Angelina did." Jeremy told him. "Her Houndour caused an explosion that took out half of Duel's hit points. Then withstood a Sheer Cold attack using Overheat."

Drew nodded. "You're a vicious fighter, Angelina. If you get enough ribbons, I'll look forward to seeing you at the Grand Festival." he said with a weak smile. "Well, now you all know my secret... I suppose I should tell you how I met Roselia."

"I was kinda interested in finding that out." Christina agreed.

"When I first started having seizures the doctor told my parents that an aromatherapy attack, at the right time, could lessen a seizure, and that for a sick person, caring for a Pokemon could help them return to health. So that's what I did. My dad trains Fire types. He searched and searched and finally he found a Roselia for me, the same Roselia I'm training now."

"Selia!" Roselia said proudly and let loose an Aromatherapy attack to demonstrate. Drew took a deep whiff and smiled, pulling the Pokemon into a hug.

"I missed you." Drew said with a soft smile.

"Chu!" TJ popped out of Angelina's backpack, looked around, and seeing it was still in the hospital, ducked back in.

"What is /with/ him tonight?" Angelina asked as she looked back over her shoulder at where the Pokemon had been. She pulled out her Pokedex for an answer.

'_**Some Pokemon are sensitive to human suffering. For this reason they are frightened of hospitals, doctors offices, accident sites, and war battlefields.'**_ Dexette explained. _**'This phenomenon has been mostly observed among psychic Pokemon, however, baby Pokemon are also susceptible.' **_

"So that explains it. Pichu's scared of hospitals." Christina commented as the little Pokemon's glittering black eyes were the only things visible in Angelina's backpack.

"It's time to head up to the Pokemon Center." said one of the Nurses peeking in. "Drew, if you want to leave tomorrow then you'll need to get some rest okay? And don't forget to take your medicine before you go to bed."

Drew sighed reluctantly. "I hate taking medicine, forget that I've had to take it since I was a kid. I hate it, and the blood tests, and the kids looking at me like I'd sprouted a Dodrio's three heads." He complained, tears in his eyes. "Nurse, can't Roselia stay with me tonight?"

"Oh all right." the Nurse said reluctantly.

"Okay, good night you two. Get well soon okay, Drew?"

"They'll let me out in time for lunch." Drew agreed with a faint smile. "See you all tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya." Angelina said softly as she turned to go. "Get well soon, Drew."

**§**To Be Continued**§**

Angelina and Drew battle for the first time in a Pokemon Contest and then Drew reveals that he has epilepsy and tells how he met Roselia, and then Angelina wins the Lilycove Pokemon Contest. Also, Team Rocket will go back to chasing after Ash and Pikachu. Thanks for reading, comments welcomed, next chapter is on the way!


	45. Undepartured Rematch

Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter, not based on an episode. I don't own Pokemon except my own characters and ideas. Enjoy!

**Chapter 45: Undepartured Rematch**

Well after Angelina's egg hatched into a Pichu and Amber and her Blaziken were defeated by Duel and her Walrain, Drew has a seizure during his match with Angelina. Winning by default, Angelina and her Houndour Crypto faced off and defeated Duel and her Walrain for the ribbon of the Lilycove City Pokemon Contest. Everyone stopped by the hospital later that night to visit Drew, and he explained that he had epilepsy and how he receive Roselia.

The following day, Drew was released from the hospital and met up with his friends at the Pokemon Center. The guys were just about ready to continue their journey, but the girls insisted they stop at the Lilycove Departmant Store. This received a couple groans from the guys but to make the girls happy, they could wait a few hours.

Angelina and Christina grin excitedly when they finally reached the Department Store while Drew rolled his eyes and Jeremy reminded him with a gentle nudge to play along. Angelina then hurriedly reached for the one of the door handles, prepared to yank it open. However, before she could do so, the door opened for her, and she stumbled backwards right into Jeremy's arms surprised.

"Hey, guys. Doing some shopping?"

Brendan Birch gave a grin to match the one Angelina had just had as he shifted a large shopping bag to his left arm. Angelina stood up, grinning sheepishly.

"Duh! Hey, what's that? _Pokédolls_?"

Brendan's face reddened slightly. "No! I'm just picking some stuff up for my dad!"

"Professor Birch likes Pokédolls?"

"I told you, they're not—nevermind, its not the only reason I'm still around." Brendan said.

"Is that so? Hope you're not still sore about our last battle." Angelina teased.

"Who said I was? So how bout a rematch to see which one of us has gotten better?" Brendan asked, grinning. "Two-on-two, but one Pokemon at a time."

"All right," Angelina nodded, her right hand took out a Pokeball and threw it. "I choose you, Feather!" the swallow-bird Pokemon appeared and landed safely on the ground.

"Hehe!" Brendan sniggered as he maximized the Pokeball in his hand. "Go! Camerupt!" he tossed out his Pokeball and the red camel-like Pokemon with humps in the shape of rocky volcanoes appeared, ready for battle.

"Well now, a Camerupt!" Angelina said, taking out her Pokedex.

'_**Camerupt, the Eruption Pokemon,'**_ Dexette stated. _**'The humps on Camperupt's back are formed by a transformation of its bones. They sometimes blast out molten magma, and apparently erupts often when its enraged.'**_

"Camerupt, Flamethrower!" Brendan ordered.

"Feather!" Angelina yelled. "Fly high in the sky now!"

Camerupt shot out a blast of fire, but missed as Angelina's Swellow flew high in the sky.

Angelina giggled, "Looks like my Swellow has an advantage over you, Brendan!"

"Don't be too sure!" Brendan replied. "Camerupt! Eruption!"

Camerupt yelled out his battle cry as huge fireballs shot out of the small volcanoes of his back. Feather barely dodged each one of them.

"Good job, Feather!" Angelina shouted. "Now! Aerial Ace!"

Feather flew directly at Camerupt and struck his face with its wing. Camerupt staggered backwards but regained his senses.

"Hang in there, Camerupt!" Brendan yelled. "Now, while it's flying back, use Eruption again!"

Camerupt let out another bunch of huge fireballs out of the volcanoes.

"Feather!" Angelina yelled. "Behind you!"

_**Pokemon!**_  
_**Every trainer has a choice,  
to listen to that voice inside.  
I know the battle may be long,  
winners may have come and gone.  
I will carry on, Yeah!  
This dream will last forever,  
this dream will never die,  
we will rise to meet the challenge every time.  
Yeah, this dream keeps us together,  
just know that you and I,  
will be the best that the world's ever seen,  
Because we always will follow this dream.**_  
_**Pokemon!**_

Feather looked at the incoming fireballs and dodged them, suddenly a huge blaze of flame came

and scorched Swellow's wing.

"No!" Angelina yelled. "What happened!?"

"Brendan and his Camerupt got Swellow and Angelina distracted when Camerupt was shooting out his Eruption attack, followed by his Flamethrower," Jeremy said as he and the others were observing the match. "Another distraction or mistake like that and it could be all over."

Feather fell hard on the floor.

"We got it now, Camerupt!" Brendan yelled. "Body Slam Attack now!"

Camerupt leapt into the air as Swellow struggled to get to his feet.

"Feather! Get out of the way!" Angelina cried.

Feather looked at the incoming Body Slam and instantly rolled out of the way, barely dodging the attack.

"Phew!" Amber said as she began to sweat. "I almost had a heart attack there."

"I forgot to breathe myself," Christina said. "And I'm only watching the match."

"Feather return!" Angelina yelled as she held out her Pokeball. The injured Swellow was zapped back into its Pokeball. She smiled confidently as she chose her second Pokeball. "Go! Charcoal!" she yelled as he tossed it out, her Charizard materialised out of the Pokeball and let out a loud roar.

"A fire type versus fire type," Brendan observed. "Even though you reserved you're injured Swellow, you shouldn't make this too challenging for yourself, since you're on your second Pokemon!"

"Don't worry about me, Brendan," Angelina replied. "Just worry about your Camerupt and your second Pokemon."

'_**I won't need to,'**_ Brendan thought to himself. _**'You'll see why.'**_

"Charcoal!" Angelina yelled as she pointed at Camerupt. "Headbutt attack!"

"Camerupt!" Brendan shouted. "Flamethrower attack!"

Camerupt shot out another flame-attack but Charcoal confidently dodged the attack as he flew towards him. As Angelina expected, Charcoal headbutted his opponent in the face.

"Way to go, Charcoal!" Angelina yelled. "Now Mega Punch attack!"

Charcoal did as he was instructed and gave a hefty punch to the side of Camerupt's face sending him flying.

"Camerupt! No!" Brendan yelled worryingly.

"Now! Body Slam attack!" Angelina commanded.

Charcoal leapt into the air and grabbed Camerupt by the neck and slammed his face on the ground, knocking him out.

Jeremy raised his left hand toward Angelina's side. "Camerupt is no longer able to battle, Charizard wins this round!"

"Way to go, Charcoal!" Angelina yelled happily as her Charizard roared triumphantly.

"Don't get too excited," Brendan replied as he called back his Pokemon. He picked out his second Pokemon. "Go Swampert!"

A large Pokemon came out of his Pokeball and yelled out his battle cry. It had smooth blue skin and a white underbelly, yellow appendages on its arms and on the sides of its face, giant blue fins on its head and tail and yellow eyes.

"Hmm," Angelina murmured as she checked her Pokedex.

'_**Swampert, the mud-fish Pokemon,'**_ Dexette stated. _**'Swampert predicts storms by sensing subtle differences in the sounds of waves and tidal waves with its fins. If a storm is approaching, it piles up boulders to protect itself.'  
**_  
"A water type," Angelina thought to herself. "Still, I can't withdraw Charcoal to get Feather out, cause that'll get him even more hurt."

"Why isn't Angelina withdrawing her Charizard?" Drew asked. "I hope she realises that fire types are weak against water types."

"She does," Amber replied. "You saw how injured Swellow was.… and knowing Angelina, she doesn't know how to quit."

"Go for it, Charcoal!" Angelina yelled. "Fly attack!"

"Swampert!" Brendan yelled. "Water Gun!"

Swampert shot out a large spray of water out of his mouth. Charcoal flew high in the air before Swampert's attack reached him.

"Charcoal! Attack Swampert with your Mega Punch!" Angelina yelled.

Charcoal dived down at Swarmpert and aimed his punch at him.

"Swampert!" Brendan yelled. "Water Gun again!"

Swampert sprayed another water attack at Charizard but missed as Charcoal quickly dodged out of the way. Charcoal went to give Swampert a punch to the face but Swampert grabbed it.

"Use your other paw, Charcoal!" Angelina yelled.

"Swampert! Grab it!" Brendan yelled.

Charcoal used his other paw to punch but Swampert grabbed that as well.

"Charcoal! Try to break out of that hold!" Angelina yelled.

"Swampert! Seismic Toss!" Brendan ordered.

Both Pokemon were struggling in their test of strength to gain an upper advantage until.…

"Swampert! Use Water Gun!" Brendan yelled.

"What!" Angelina yelled in shock.

Swampert spat some water out of his mouth and it landed in Charcoal's eyes, making him lose concentration. Swampert used the advantage to grab Charcoal round the middle and leapt into the sky.

'_**We got her now,'**_ Brendan thought as he observed Swampert attempting to slam Charcoal.

"Charcoal!" Angelina yelled. "Flip Swampert over to counter!"

"Say what!?" Brendan yelled in shock.

Charcoal turned Swampert around in mid-air and Swampert fell hard on his back, letting go of Charcoal.

Charcoal became free as he flew high in the sky.

"Charcoal! Finish it off with Flamethrower!"

"No way!" Brendan said still in shock. "Swampert, move out of the way!"

Charcoal shot out a huge and powerful lick of flame toward Swampert, whom wasn't able to move out of the way because of how much damage he took thanks to Charcoal's counter.

After catching the Flamethrower attack, Swampert became dizzy and was covered with burnt marks. Swampert fell to the floor once again but this time he was knocked out.

"Swampert! No!" Brendan cried as he ran over to him.

"Swampert is no longer able to battle," Jeremy cried. "Charizard wins the round and Angelina wins the battle!"

"We did it!" Angelina cried.

"Pi-pichu!" TJ squealed happily.

Charcoal roared loudly in triumph.

Angelina recalled her Charizard and walked over to Brendan.

"Great match," Angelina said.

"It really was," Brendan replied as he smiled while calling back his Swampert.

Angelina offered her hand of friendship and sportsmanship to Brendan and he proudly accepted it.

"I thought that water Pokemon can take fire attacks," Brendan said. "I guess life is full of surprises."

"You certainly surprised me a couple of times," Angelina replied. "If you can come up with tricks as good as that, you'll do well."

"Thanks, Angelina."

After their goodbyes were said to Brendan, Angelina and friends headed back to the Pokemon Center so Angelina could heal her Pokemon once more before they can finally set off on their next destination: Mossdeep City.

**§To Be Continued§**

This was kinda similar to how the character in the Ruby and Sapphire game has to face their rival in Lilycove City near the Department Store. Only in this chapter, Angelina faces Brendan in a battle of two Pokemon each. I know Angelina's rival is Seamus Nichols, but I decided to bring back Brendan for another chapter. Thanks for reading! Next chapter is on the way!


	46. Mossdeep Knows Best

I know Swampert can be taught Ice Beam, but I've decided that only Jeremy's Swampert knows that attack. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I don't own Pokemon except my own ideas and characters. Enjoy!

**Chapter 46: Mossdeep Knows Best**

After healing her Pokemon at the Pokemon Center in Lilycove City, Angelina and friends ran into Steven Stone again, whom was also departuring for the same destination: Mossdeep City. They traveled by Pokemon; Steven on his Skarmory, Angelina and Jeremy on his Dragonite, then Drew and Christina rode with Amber on her Lugia.

They decided to head straight for Mossdeep City Gym; Angelina wasn't the only trainer not to have the Mind Badge, Jeremy was missing it too, so they both challenged Tate and Liza to a double gym battle. The battle consisted of Angelina's Charizard and Jeremy's Sceptile against Tate's Solrock and Liza's Lunatune.

Solrock began with Solarbeam, but Sceptile countered with its own and both attacks cancelled out. Then Lunatone fired off an Ice Beam while Solrock released another Solarbeam, though both attacks headed right toward each other and cancelled out as well. At the time, Charizard was in the air with Sceptile on its back; both Charizard and Solrock fired off Flamethrowers', which cancelled out. Then Sceptile unleashed Bullet Seed, which Lunatone blocked with Light Screen.

When Solrock and Lunatone used Ancient Power, Charizard and Sceptile were able to avoid the attack, then dodged a Flamethrower/Psybeam combo. Lunatone then used its Psychic attack only on Charizard, but failed to notice that Sceptile was able to move, therefore confusing Tate and Liza when Sceptile fired off a Solar Beam and directly struck Lunatone and released its psychic grip on Charizard. Charizard exhaled a Dragon Rage which overpowered Solrock's Flamethrower and knocked it unconscious.

Lunatone then used its Psychic attack on Sceptile, but Charizard saved its partner and fired off a Dragonbreath attack and completely shattered through Lunatone's Light Screen. Lunatone was about to attack with Tackle, but Jeremy's Sceptile attacked with Leaf Blade and followed up with Solarbeam.

Lunatone was barely able to keep itself floating and Charizard finished off Liza's Pokemon with another Dragon Rage. Now concluding that Charizard and Sceptile are the winners; their trainers, Angelina and Jeremy winners of the Mossdeep Mind Badges; badges in the shape of hallowed out pink hearts.

Later that evening and after dinner at Steven's house, Jeremy and Angelina were upstairs talking while the others were downstairs with Steven watching a movie. They were in Steven's room sitting on a giant bed with a white comforter and a nightstand beside the bed on their right with a blue lamp.

Jeremy pulled out a medium-sized gray box that looked slightly aged in the passing years. Inside were ten different colored Pokeballs: a regular Pokeball, one Lure Ball, one Great Ball, Friend Ball, Nest Ball, and Heavy Ball.

"These are Clarissa's best ten Pokemon, they've helped her compete and defeat every known region's Pokemon League, except the Elite Fours' of Kanto/Johto and Hoenn." Jeremy explained. "I know it was shocking to everyone about Clarissa's death, but your Uncle Tony didn't bring up Clarissa's will until after you left for the Hoenn Region, and in that stated her Pokemon be given to her only step-daughter…."

"Wow, I can't believe it," Angelina said in slight awe. "She always wanted the best for me when I set off on my Pokemon journey, and the only one was in Johto…." she brushed away a tear from her eye. "Those gifts she sent were very useful, and she did warn us about Team Rocket…."

"Clarissa still took great care of them before she died," Jeremy continued, moving closer to his friend and placed his arm around her. "And since then, they've been looked after by Professor Oak for five years, so now they're yours."

"Okay, so what are they?" Angelina asked.

"Well that plain Pokeball holds Blaziken, then there's Salamence in the Great Ball, the Friend Ball holds Ampheros, Feraligatr's in the Lure Ball, Flygon's in the Nest Ball, and Tyranitar's in the Heavy Ball." Jeremy pointed out the Pokemon.

"Whoa, fully evolved Pokemon!" Angelina exclaimed. "They must be really super strong if they helped Clarissa defeat the leagues."

"Exactly," Jeremy agreed. "She defeated the Orange League, placed third in Indigo's League Tournament, then placed second in the Johto League Silver Conference, and also second in the Hoenn League Tournament." he laughed softly when his friend's mouth dropped slightly in amazement. "So have fun."

Angelina smiled, "Yeah, but I don't think I'll use them until the Hoenn League Tournament," she closed the box with a nervous sigh, "Just hope they'll listen to me, may be hard on them to understand since Clarissa isn't around…." She felt Jeremy cup his hand under her chin and pull up her face so it met with his.

"Don't worry," Jeremy assured her. "Clarissa cared for her Pokemon as if they were her own children, and you care for you Pokemon in the same manner; they'll recognize the love from your heart as if it were the same love from her."

Angelina gasped in awe. This was the side of her friend that she really loved about, his sincerity and honesty. She smiled, with a soft blush in her cheeks and said softly, "Yes, I just know they will…."

The next morning, Angelina woke up and found herself in Jeremy's arms. They were still clothed and laying in a bed with the comforter draped over them in Steven Stone's bedroom.

Angelina noticed Jeremy was slowly stirring from sleep. He opened his green eyes and was gazing down upon his best friend, smiling. "Good morning," he said.

"Same to you," Angelina smiled back, "We must've fallen asleep after that talk."

"It's okay," Jeremy assured with a yawn, then he sat up and stretched. "You think the others are worried what happened to us last night?"

"They would've if they were," Angelina replied, then shrugged. "But i guess they didn't, so we're okay."

Jeremy nodded while he stood up from the bed, "All right, we better get downstairs for breakfast." He held out his hand for Angelina, then they walked out of the room and made their way down the staircase of Steven's house. They walked into the kitchen and were greeted by plates full of pancakes, toast, dip eggs and fried ham.

Steven looked up, as did Amber and Christina, seeing that Angelina and Jeremy had arrived.

"It's about time you two showed up," Amber said, smirking. "Sleep well?"

"Of course we did," Angelina replied, pulling out a chair from the polished-cherry wood table and sitting herself down beside Jeremy. Then she noticed that someone was missing. "Hold on, where's Drew?"

"He left early this morning to train for the Grand Festival in Slateport City," Christina said, after sipping her chocolate milk. "And he wishes you and Jeremy luck for your eighth gym badges!"

"Well that's nice," Angelina said, smiling.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

After breakfast and saying goodbye to Steven Stone, Angelina and friends were walking through an unpopulated part of the island and heard painful cries. They saw a Scyther slashing repeatedly at a familiar cap-clad trainer with messy black hair.

"Oh no, Ash!" Angelina cried, her Pichu jumped down to join her brother's Pikachu. "Leave him alone! Use Thunder!"

"Piiiiiiiichhuuuuuuuuuu!" both Pokemon's cheeks sparked as they released the devastating electrical attack on Scyther as it screamed in pain and soon fainted.

Damien then reveals himself as Ash crumbles to the ground. Angelina rushes to her fallen brother's side, Pikachu and Pichu, and her friends gathered around. Damien revitalized his Scyther with a Max Revive and was about to give another order when Angelina and Jeremy released Charcoal and Dragonite.

Upon looking at Ash, there was mixed reactions. Charcoal was absolutely furious and roared with intense fury. Damien and Scyther were very nervous and scared because they could sense just how angry Charcoal was. Even Pikachu, Pichu, Dragonite, Ash, Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Amber were afraid.

Charcoal roared again, his body suddenly glowing an eerie red. Angelina just gasped in awe, knowing the attack that Charcoal was getting ready to do while her brother looked like he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Charcoal's anger is causing him to overheat," Jeremy said just when Ash lost consciousness altogether.

Charcoal then unleashed a stream of super hot flames towards Scyther. The attack came at Scyther so fast that it didn't have time to react and screamed in pain as the powerful fire attack burned every inch of its body and fainted again, seriously burned. Damien was able to return Scyther though. Then Dragonite fired a Hyper Beam at Damien, sending the boy flying just when Charcoal's anger died down.

"Okay guys, here's the plan," Angelina said as she picked up her Pichu while her brother's Pikachu climbed onto her shoulder and Charcoal gently scooped Ash up. "We have to get Ash back to the Pokemon Center. Christina, you're riding with me and Ash on Charcoal. Jeremy, take Amber with you on Dragonite."

Angelina and Christina climbed onto Charcoal's back as the fire-dragon spead his wings before flying off, heading for the Pokemon Center. Jeremy and Amber quickly followed on Dragonite's back.

They made it to the Pokemon Center about twenty minutes later. Everyone except Dragonite whom was recalled, went inside. Nurse Joy, Brock, May and Max were waiting for their return. They gasped in horror upon seeing Ash's condition.

"What do you think happened?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Damien," Brock, May and Max responded angrily.

Nurse Joy actually shrunk back a little. She had never heard so much anger behind one word before. "What has this person done to make you so angry?" she asked.

Brock then told her everything. After hearing the story, Nurse Joy soon had a very angry expression on her face as well. She couldn't believe that Damien would want to kill Ash just to get back a Pokemon that doesn't even want to be with him anymore.

"I'll be sure to alert the other Nurse Joys about this," Nurse Joy said. "But we need to get your friend into Intensive Care. Follow me Charizard," she added.

Angelina's Charizard nodded, he and Angelina followed Nurse Joy into the ICU. Upon entering, he put Ash into an empty bed before he was thanked and recalled by Angelina, then she walked out into the waiting area. She found May and Max already there with Christina and Amber.

"Where's Brock?" Angelina asked.

"He's outside talking with Jeremy," Amber responded.

"Oh," Angelina said before sitting down next to her brother's Pikachu. She saw the distraught look on the Pokemon's face. "Don't worry, Pikachu. Ash is a fighter. He'll pull through," she said, switching TJ to her shoulder and pulled Pikachu into her lap.

"Pika-chu," Pikachu said. (I hope so)

Brock and Jeremy returned inside the waiting room where Angelina, Ash's Pikachu, May, Max, Christina, and Amber hoped for promising news.

A couple of hours later, Nurse Joy came back into the waiting room. "Your friend is in stable condition. He should recover in a few days," she said.

"That's a major relief. I feared the worst when I saw all those injuries to his body," May sighed in relief.

"See Pikachu, he's going to be just fine," Angelina told her brother's Pikachu.

"Pika pi," Pikachu said. (that's good)

Sure enough, Ash had fully recovered a few days later. The injuries that Damien's Scyther inflicted on his were all healed up. Nurse Joy had applied an ointment that prevented scarring on Ash's body every time she changed his bandages. The only scar he had was the long scar going down his back from the attack on him in Foretree City.

Everyone then enjoyed breakfast in the Pokemon Center before Ash and friends set out to the gym while Angelina and friends continue on with their journey. With new Pokemon on Angelina's team that recently belonged to her step-mother and encouragement from her friends, she only needs one more badge to earn before she can finally compete in the Hoenn League Tournament and battle against the Elite Four.

**§To Be Continued§**

When coming up with the title, I based that from the saying _**'Mother Knows Best'**_. The chapter itself I know is short because I had difficulty planning out the battle for the Mossdeep City gym badge. But I revealed the Pokemon that Clarissa had while she was a young trainer and were passed down to Angelina. Thanks for reading, next chapter is on the way!


	47. Larousse Vacation

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I have not forgotten this story or you dedicated reviewers! This chapter is based off of the seven Pokemon movie _**'Destiny Deoxys'**_. Okay, I don't own the song 'This Side of Paradise' or anything from Pokemon, except my characters/ideas. Enjoy!

**Chapter 47: Larousse Vacation**

A few days after earning the Mossdeep City Mind Badge, Angelina and friends arrive in Larousse City, the headquarters for anything and everything high-tech. The city was also known for the famous Battle Tower, and only miles from there and Professor Lund's laboratory, was Jeremy Cretonne's home that stood with other towering mansions lined up against each other on Golden Aveue. There were gates separating each house that were made of solid gold. Each possessed a family crest or symbol to mark the territory of the homeowner.

The Cretonne mansion was the most extravagant on the entire street. It was enormous with golden-framed windows and an elegant balcony in the center. The door was solid gold and had the family emblem of a dragon holding a flourishing rose encrusted in it by diamonds and silver. The door alone was worth more than the total of Angelina's step-relatives, the Jettisons', and the Hale's residences and around another million put together.

The lawn out front was well-trimmed and beautiful gardens surrounding the mansion with all kinds of flowers and rose bushes. The inside, however, was very classy with shiny laminated flooring, a large crystal chandelier, and a massive glass staircase (the stairs itself were a special bendy glass designed to move according to the person's will) with a hidden elevator and solid gold banisters with colorful jewels planted in its surface. There were twelve bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two kitchens, one dining room, a basement, an indoor swimming pool, three living rooms, an office for work, a library, and a large outdoor deck.

"C'mon Lina! You have to see this!"

"All right, I'm coming."

Angelina and Jeremy walked into the family room; they sat down on a leather black sofa while Amber lounged in a leather armchair and Christina sitting on the floor hugging her newly hatched Togepi. In front of them was a big-screen television; there was a show of a double-battle from Larousse City's Battle Tower. The field was circular, patterned with a design of a Pokeball in red and blue. In the centre of each half was a smaller Pokeball patterned the same way which decorated the top of the piston they'd arrived on.

Surrounding the field was a pit lit from the bottom by thousands of halogen lights, making it impossible to see the bottom of them. About level with the battling surface on the other side of the moat was a series of hexagonal screens, all facing towards the centre of the arena, looking for the entire world like a flat ring of honeycomb. Above the screens were the main bodies of the stands, the darkness around them accentuating every action in the battle without the distraction of other spectators. Above them was a red-haired man in something that resembled a cradle which flew around. Evidently he was the commentator, judging by the bizarre futuristic clothes he was wearing and a microphone hooked around his jaw. He listened in on what he was calling to the crowds.

"We have Ash Ketchum in the Blue corner! A trainer all the way from Pallet Town!" Angelina grinned at the sight of her brother's appearance on the multitude of screens. "And his tag partner Tory, a local trainer."

Standing next to Ash was a boy that looked about ten with light bluish-silver hair similar to Winona's that curled around his face with two little tufts from each side. He wore white jeans and a cyan jumper, looking panicky and fearful.

"And in the Red corner, we have two trainers from South City. Rafe and Sid!" the commentator continued as another piston rose into the arena carrying the aforementioned trainers into the fray.

Sid had black hair held in place with a red sweatband and had a wide physique. He wore a simple black T-shirt with yellow cargo shorts, and a silver dog-tag hanging from his neck. He was scanning the crowd looking for any familiar faces.

Rafe was the brown-haired guy wearing a grey tracksuit, he looked straight at the opponent before him. "Hey Ash. You sure didn't waste any time." he called over haughtily.

"Of course not! I couldn't wait to beat you." Ash answered back, reflecting the arrogance.

Sid had started jumping up and down having just noticed a face he recognized. "Hey May! Make sure you watch! I'm dedicating this battle to you!" He shouted up, finishing with a smarmy wink.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Angelina smiled, cooing along with Christina. "Someone really likes May already!"

"The basic rule in all tag-team battles is team work! Each trainer uses a single Pokemon and works with his teammate!" the commentator said. "And now... trainers! Bring out your Pokemon!"

Rafe and Sid both pulled a Pokemon from each of their belts, making a show of throwing them into the field. Rafe released a Blaziken, which stretched and readied itself for battle, whilst Sid released a Blastoise, which mirrored its trainers love for posing by throwing its arms wide and shouting to the arena. Ash leant forwards slightly to allow Pikachu to jump down to the ground and scamper ahead.

"So what Pokemon does that Tory-kid have?" Amber asked.

"None," Jeremy replied, which got confusion from the girls. "About four years ago, Tory had a traumatic experience with Pokemon that left him terrified of them."

"Well that's nice," Amber grimaced sympathetically. "You think they'd forfeit because of Tory's Pokemon-phobia?"

"Unless Ash lends Tory one of his Pokemon," Angelina suggested to her friends. "The only choice they've got, which isn't too bad."

"Well, if I have'ta!" Tory shouted, hurling out a Pokeball (that belonged to Ash) unceremoniously into the field. A Torkoal burst out of the Pokeball next to Pikachu, before rearing back its head and blowing out jets of black smoke from its nose and shell top, causing Pikachu to cough and splutter.

The commentator rose back into the air, looking hopeful once again, whilst Amber mocked hitting her head against a wall. Angelina agreed, it was bad sending a Pokemon out when she knew it had a type disadvantage.

"Well, it looks like we have our Pokemon! Ready for a battle, 'cause here we go!"

Rafe leapt into the battle with practiced precision. "Let's do this! Blaziken. Use Blaze Kick now!" He ordered.

The Blaziken nodded briskly, building flares around it's wrist as it focused its power. The Pokemon leapt high into the air and somersaulted, pointing it's now burning heel directly at Ash's Team.

"Dodge Pikachu!" Ash called out. The electric mouse leapt out of the way just before the searing heel drove itself into his skull. However Torkoal, having been given no orders from Tory, took the full brunt of the attack; his face pressed into the ground. Pikachu leapt up, intending to thundershock the Blaziken without further adding to Torkoal's pain. What he didn't count on was the Blaziken's partner.

"Go Blastoise! Hydro Pump!" Sid ordered, showing remarkable alacrity for someone so apparently easy-going. The Blastoise cocked his right shoulder cannon, taking careful aim, before blasting Pikachu with a highly pressured barrage of water. The jet barely clipped Pikachu, but was still more than sufficient to spin him out and send him hurtling painfully to the ground. He bounced twice on impact, sliding backwards about a metre.

Torkoal winced when he saw the amount of pain his partner was in, and looked back pleadingly at Tory. The boy recoiled under his gaze and Ash glared at him in annoyance. Before either of them could recover, Sid shouted another command.

"Blastoise, Bubble attack!"

The overgrown turtle bared its jaws and belched out a stream of bubbles at the Torkoal, taking full advantage of the weakness to water. The beam hit the small turtle square in the face, the force from the bubbles sufficient to throw his head around as though he was being punched. Again, Sid was demonstrating that they were both stronger than they looked. Ash gaped at the pounding that Torkoal was receiving, but quickly came to his senses. There was still a chance to turn the match around.

"Tory. You have to tell Torkoal to do something!"

"But… I don't know what to tell it." Tory answered.

"IDIOT!" Angelina screamed, standing up and shaking her fist at the TV. "Call out Protect, Smokescreen, then Iron Tail!" she yelled along with the thousands of chants, calls, jeers, and whooping from the crowd.

Jeremy sweatdrops, "Calm down, Angel. Tory is just a beginner, he doesn't know anything." he pulled his friend back onto the couch.

"Blastoise Rapid Spin!" Sid called out.

Blastoise tucked his limbs into his shell, pushing himself around with his last hind leg quickly, before spinning straight at Ash's team. Everyone noticed Tory's mixed expression of shock and fear as the Blastoise hurtled straight through the Torkoal, hurling it across the stage, before it continued on straight towards him.

Blastoise punched its limb back out of its shell, stopping its spin just before him. He watched the Torkoal landed on its back on the ground in front of him, and leapt back, ready to deliver a finishing water blast.

Ash wasn't about to let that happen. "Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt! Cover Torkoal!" he yelled, hoping top give the turtle enough time to recover. Pikachu obliged, jumping to block Torkoal from the Blastoise, and unleashed thousands of volts of electricity through the Blastoise, the current coursing through the water in the Pokemon, and rendering it immobile. That was the plan anyway. The Blaziken jumped across and dipped a claw into the flow of current just before Pikachu could build the bolt to full power, earthing the jolt, before unleashing a flamethrower at the mouse and turtle. Pikachu leapt into the air, quickly proving to be its downfall.

"Blastoise! Skull Bash! Go!"

Blastoise rushed forwards faster than his lumbering bulk would suggest, head butting Pikachu in midair. The combined momentum of Pikachu's own dodge and the Blastoise cranium was too much for the mouse, hurling it backwards like a living missile at the Torkoal, which having just been able to find it's feet again, was aghast at being toppled over again, rolling an landing on it's back. Pikachu was in a much less comfortable position, as the roll had left him underneath the Torkoal, crushing him. Tory shielded his face from the dust cloud that was thrown up, whilst Ash just blinked it out.

"Looks like the blue corner just can't seem to get it together as a team." The commentator said disdainfully.

"I'll say," Amber agreed disappointedly. "Tory isn't doing anything to help him out at all. I don't see how he could win."

Ash rushes forward and says something assuringly to Tory, then yelled, "Flamethrower, Torkoal, go!"

Pikachu heaved until the Torkoal was pushed off his back, falling flat on his front from the effort. The Torkoal however, now vertical again, reared back his head and belched out a stream of flame at the opponents.

Pikachu realized his tail had remained stuck up in the air, right in the middle of Torkoal's flamethrower and hopped about madly to extinguish the smoldering appendage and waved it to remove the soot.

"Oh! A flamethrower from Torkoal, but it hit Pikachu!" The commentator continued.

Torkoal heard the announcement, and looked down to see that he had burnt the Pikachu. He threw his head back in shame and cried rivulets of tears onto the floor, and blew long streams of black smoke out of his nostrils with a sound like a train whistle. Pikachu had the misfortune of being caught in another impromptu smokescreen, and coughed heavily.

Ash pulled his hand over his face in shame, whilst Rafe brushed his fringe aside with his fingertips. "How embarrassing." He said coolly.

Sid had his arms folded behind his head, and looked at Rafe out of one eye. "So Rafe, wanna finish this one up?" He asked calmly.

Judging by the state of the Pikachu and the Torkoal, they could finish it up anytime. It just depended on how much they wanted to humiliate Ash, although judging by the Pokemon he had, he'd been humiliated enough already.

Rafe nodded in agreement. "Let's go. Blaziken. Overheat!" He called out dramatically.

The Blaziken reared back and loosed a heavily focused stream of flame at both the opponents. The fireball swarmed around the two, the heat enough to melt steel, and the floor of the arena exploded, hurling both Pokemon back to Ash, thoroughly defeated. Ash rushed forwards to tend to the Pokemon's wounds.

"That's it! Pikachu and Torkoal are unable to battle! Rafe and Sid are the winners! Congratulations!" The commentator called out to the crowd, applause ringing from every stand as the piston carrying Ash and Tory descended back underneath the arena. Rafe was waving regally to the entire audience, whilst Sid just waved both arms crudely, which Angelina thought he was trying to attract May's attention.

Jeremy gets up from the couch and shuts off the television. Then he turns back to his friends, "Okay girls. We'll eat dinner here and then head down to the Pokemon Center for our Pokemon."

After everyone's stomachs were settled from a roast and steamed vegetables, Jeremy led the girls down to the Pokemon Center. When Nurse Joy gave back their healed Pokemon, Angelina and friends were greeted by purple haze was drifting through the sky, illuminating the dark city below with its ghostly light. Not only that, Ash and friends were there having a party in the playground with their Pokemon, too.

"Can't be, that's impossible!" Jeremy said.

"What is?" Christina asked him.

Jeremy looked down at Angelina's sister, and decided to explain it for her. After all, she was only small. What could she know? "It's called an aurora, but it can only be seen at the north and south poles."

"They are starting to appear further from the poles as well though." Angelina pointed out, "We're in a period just before the magnetic poles switch over, and so the magnetic field around the earth is gradually diminishing. In about a few centuries or so, North will be south, and South will be north."

"Yeah, remind me to change my compass." Amber said sarcastically.

Angelina shot her friend a warning look, but Amber just smirked back. She looked down at her Pichu. "Right TJ? Hello, what's wrong?"

"Pi, pichu, chu, pi-chu?" TJ had been watching the other Pokemon playing; he looked up at his trainer hopefully. _**(Can I go play with them)**_

Angelina smiled, "Of course, sweetie. Have fun!"

"C'mon TJ, I'll take ya!" Christina said, while holding her Togepi.

Angelina's Pichu hopped onto the little girl's shoulder, then Christina ran into the playground and greeted a surprised-looking Max.

Max hugged his friend happily, "I can't believe you're here! This is great!"

"Yep, and I got a new Pokemon!" Christina giggled.

"Wow, a Togepi!" Max exclaimed, his face real close to the little Pokemon.

"Pleeeeee!" Togepi cried upsetly.

"Oh Max, you scared my baby!" Christina scolded, then cooed the little Pokemon soothingly. "Its okay, Togepi. Mommy's here."

"I'm sorry, Christina." Max said. "Your Pokemon just reminds me of the one Misty had and all the other Togepi from the Mirage Kingdom."

"Really? What's Mirage Kingdom?" Christina asked curiously while Max explained everything and TJ happily joined the other Pokemon.

Meanwhile... Angelina, Jeremy, and Amber greeted Ash, Brock, and May; they were also introduced to Sid, Rebecca, Tory, Rafe, and his twin sisters Audrey and Catherine.

"Hey Angel, now's good for that new song, right?" Jeremy asked, grinning at his best friend's dazed expression.

Angelina had been staring at the aurora, but then to Brock whom was talking to Sid. She smiled, "Yeah. I wouldn't mind." she dug into her single-strap bag and pulled out a CD and a portable boom box. "Didn't think your house would have a recording studio, but luckily I have the karaoke version with back up singers. Hit it, Jer!"

Jeremy pushed the play button on the boom box as Angelina made her way to the top of the playground with her wireless microphone.

_**La-la-la-la-la**_

_**La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la**_

_**There's a place I know  
It's always jumpin'  
I'm thinkin' we should go and leave our worries  
You gotta friend in me  
And I'll tell you something  
This time should be extraordinary**_

Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch Angelina sing, then resumed to what they were doing; Ash and Tory were on the swings.

_**When shadows fall, you're feeling small  
It looks like walls are closing in  
Don't be afraid, the dark will fade  
Just take my hand and look again**_

While the Pokemon are playing around the playground cubes, Angelina slides down the huge slide and continues dancing and singing.

_**This side of paradise  
Is where I want to be  
This side of paradise  
For you and me  
This side of paradise  
What you get is what you see  
And I never thought I'd see a place as nice  
This side of paradise**_

_**La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la**_

Max and Christina run up to Angelina excitedly with Pichu and Togepi following, she sings to them:

_**We're gonna take a ride  
We're gonna catch that train  
When you're at my side, the world has hope, and  
As we pass on by  
We all look the same  
The clouds are high, the world is open**_

_**Forget about the pain and doubt  
Your happiness is overdue (ahh)  
I've been dreaming of (dreaming of) the skies above  
Dancing through the stars with you  
Oh, take me too**_

_**(Repeat Chorus)**_

_**La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la  
This side of paradise  
For you and me  
La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la  
I've been dreaming  
For you and me (oh)  
This side of paradise  
La-la-la-la-la  
La-la-la-la-la...**_

Angelina curtsies as everyone applauded when the song ended.

"Nicely done, Angel," Jeremy praised. "We can tell Mr. Nichols this song's music video is covered."

"Video?" Angelina gasped when Amber was holding a camcorder.

"Ah-hehe," Amber laughed nervously. "Just something to look back on. There won't be no copies made and-"

"Well good then. Hand it over." Angelina calmly held out her hand, her smile turned frown.

Amber backed away slowly, "Run?" she quickly glanced to Jeremy.

"I'd rather head home."

"Even better, let's go!"

Angelina sighed, watching her friends take off from the playground. "I was only kidding. They'll never learn." she shakes her head. "C'mon Tina, we're leaving."

"Aww, right now?" Christina halted her playing with Max, pouting. "But I was having fun!"

"Yes, I know," Angelina agreed, her Pichu climbed onto her shoulder. "We'll come back and see everyone again, I promise."

The next day, Jeremy and the girls were relaxing in the backyard when they suddenly heard Officer Jenny announce a full evacuation of the whole city.

"Evacuation? I wonder what's wrong?" Jeremy said curiously, walking from the gardens with the girls.

They walked out front and had a full view of Larousse City; dark flying creatures were carrying people away while a giant snake-like dragon creature in the sky was trying to get through the force field.

Amber gasped, "No way! It can't be!"

"What is it, Amber? Tell us!"

Amber gulped in shock, "It's Rayquaza! A legendary Pokemon!"

Angelina whipped out her Pokedex; on the screen appeared a dragon-snake with small claws, yellow eyes, green appendages on its head, a long green body with black designs, and a fluke-like tail.

_**'Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokemon.'**_ Dexette stated. _**'It lived for hundreds of million years in the planets' ozone layer, never going to the ground.'**_

"Until now, probably has something to do with Deoxys," Jeremy said disturbly.

Angelina looked disgusted, "What's that, a disease?"

"No, it's another Pokemon," Jeremy told her.

Angelina pressed buttons on her Pokedex, a different Pokemon appeared on the screen; it was red with a colored gem in the center of its chest, the back of its head was shifted to be pointed backwards, and its arms and legs flowing along side it.

_**'Deoxys, the DNA Pokemon.'**_ Dexette stated. _**'It formed when a space virus mutated when hit by a laser beam. Its highly intelligent and wields psychokinetic powers and is said to shoot lasers from its chest.'**_

"Yeah, that's it," Jeremy said. "A Pokemon from outer space."

"What? How?" the girls questioned simultaneously.

"Hey Angel, remember I told you that Clevon Spielbunk wanted custody of me when my parents disappeared?" Jeremy asked.

Angelina nodded, confused. "Yes, but what's that gotta do with Deoxys?"

"My parents were apart of Professor Lund's research team after Drew was born and until four years ago. That was when a meteorite came down and struck the North Pole." Jeremy explained. "And located inside was a completely unknown Pokemon, which Professor Lund gave the Pokemon the name _**'Deoxys'**_. But then, almost immediately, Rayquaza appeared from the Ozone and attacked Deoxys."

"Why?" Christina asked.

"Rayquaza must have thought Deoxys was invading its territory and felt threatened."

Angelina assumed.

"Right," Jeremy agreed. "Deoxys vanished into the sea after the attack, and well after my parents' death..."

Angelina gasped, "Oh Jeremy! They died during the attack? I'm so sorry, and it makes sense why you were there for me when Clarissa died ..." she was now in tears.

Jeremy embraced his friend, he was also crying. "Yes, I know, and we're both here for each other, all that matters."

Christina brushed away her tears; she too felt sad for Jeremy. However, Amber's thoughts were a mixture of sympathy for her cousin-in-law's loss and yet confused about Deoxys.

"I don't get it. How can it be the same?" Amber asked.

"After getting beaten by Rayquaza, Deoxys must have been slowly been regenerating." Jeremy replied.

"Regenerating?" Angelina blinked, confused.

"That's right," Jeremy said. "It has astounding re-generating power. And that's what Yuko and Professor Lund have been studying for years."

"Who's Yuko?" Christina asked curiously.

"She's Professor Lund's assistant; very close friend of my parents, and relayed that whole story to me so I could tell you now," Jeremy explained, then sighed. "Well let's go inside and prepare our lunch."

Later that evening, Angelina and friends found out that all systems were down; the power was out so they couldn't watch television, and the Pokeball management wasn't functioning. The mansion didn't have lighting, so the girls wouldn't go anywhere without Jeremy, even when there were candles lit.

During the afternoon the next day, Angelina was watching, from the opened living room window, Rayquaza trying to break in. Suddenly, to Angelina's horror, Rayquaza used Hyper Beam and broke into the force field in the weak spot it had been banging on all night.

"Oh no! Rayquaza broke through!" Angelina yelled to her friends, whom were playing Trouble (the game).

"That's not good," Jeremy said, standing up. "And I've also been thinking last night. Deoxys can multiply itself, and when these Deoxys-copies carried off people yesterday, I figured out where they're being held at."

"So we're going outside, amongst Rayquaza and Deoxys fighting, just to rescue people?" Angelina asked worriedly.

Jeremy approached her, smiling. "If Ash was in the same situation, I'm sure he'd risk his life to save Larousse City."

Angelina smiled back, "You're right. Then we'll help too."

The gang walked outside and were greeted with fresh air and a light wind; the force field was gone and the Pokeball management was working again. Jeremy called out his Dragonite and climbed on with Angelina while Christina went with Amber on her Skarmory. They arrived at the windmills they saw all the people who didn't evacuate standing around. There was Brock, May, Max, Audrey, Catherine, Rafe, Sid, Rebecca, and their Pokemon.

"Hey guys!" Jeremy called, his Dragonite landed near the group.

"Where's Ash and Tory?" Angelina asked.

"They just flew by here with Deoxys," May said. "It's the one that's friends with Tory."

Angelina gasped, "There's two of them now?"

"Amber, you and Christina stay here with everyone," Jeremy instructed. "I'll take Angel to find Ash."

Dragonite flew into the sky and landed on a building in time to see two Deoxys send out auroras in greeting; quite a beautiful sight.

"See Angel, nothing to worry," Jeremy assured. "And look, there's Ash and Tory on that building over there!"

Angelina smiled in relief, but was startled by a loud explosion. Rayquaza was attacking the Deoxys once more.

"HEY, KNOCK IT OFF!" Ash yelled. "STOP RAYQUAZA!"

"Oh don't tell me that was Ash," Angelina said with her eyes closed.

Jeremy chuckled, "I see you're not surprised all the traveling you've done with him."

"Are you kidding? You wouldn't believe half the stupid stuff he's done." Angelina said. "Whether you were with me or not."

"Exactly," Jeremy agreed.

The two Deoxys paralyzed Rayquaza and carried Ash and Tory out of the way and onto the ground. Jeremy's Dragonite landed beside them; Angelina climbed off and followed Ash and Tory in the direction of the fighting Pokemon.

During the fighting, around Battle Tower, the electromagnetism in Deoxys' attack caused a major side effect on the now active robots. The robots formed into rivers of robots; Ash, Tory, Angelina, and Jeremy were having trouble dodging the security robots. Even Rayquaza and the Deoxys were getting swamped by them. Then Plusle and Minun had showed up to help.

"Guys, I'm scared." Tory said.

"Me too." Angelina admitted, hugging her Pichu.

"Same here." Ash added reluctantly. "Kinda reminds me when I found out I was the Chosen One in the Orange Islands."

"You mean the time you were nearly killed because you fell off Lugia?" Angelina asked.

"Lugia fell with me." Ash corrected.

"Not helping guys." Jeremy warned.

Suddenly, Professor Lund came onto the nearest screen.

"Tory! Can you hear me? Tory!"

"Daddy?" Tory said.

"You must listen very carefully. As you can see, all the Block Robots are malfunctioning. The Chief Robot which controls all other Block robots should be near you. We no longer have power over that robot from the booth. Understand? So here's what you have to do, and I need for you to be brave. Tory, do you have your passport? You must present your passport to the Chief Robot. Everything should unlock, but only for a very brief moment. That should allow us just enough time to regain control and shut down the security system. The block robots are surrounding the Battle Tower making any approach by us impossible. Son, the fate of the town is in your hand. I know we can count on you t-" the block robots had hit the screen causing it to break and everyone shielded from the shattered/falling glass.

"Don't you worry, sir. Pikachu and I are gonna help Tory save this town. Together." Ash said determinedly, taking out his passport while his sister smiled proudly.

"You guys, look!" Jeremy called out, pointing to the Chief Robot.

"We gotta get to that tower." Ash said out loud.

"Hey Ash, look at that!" Angelina said, pointing to the floating hot dog machine.

Ash and Tory, along with Plusle and Minun, jumped onto the hotdog machine and road it to the tower while Angelina and Jeremy watched from the sky on Dragonite. They saw Ash hop over a Snorlax and jumped off.

"I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS!" Ash told Tory as the younger boy floated away with Plusle and Minun.

Ash climbed the tower to the point he was parallel to the robot. Now the only problem was getting from the tower to the robot. Pikachu started to hop on the floating blocks and ended up at the robot.

"Wow, cool!" Ash said. "I'm right behind ya!"

Ash hopped on different robots. He reached and stared to present his passport, but there was a sudden jerk and the passport dropped. "NOOOOOO!"

"ASH! USE MY PASSPORT!" Tory called.

"THROW IT!" Ash called.

Tory threw his up to Ash; he reached, but it fell a couple of inches too short. Pikachu jumped off the robot, then flung the passport back up to Ash with its tail.

Ash caught the passport this time. "PIKACHU!"

Suddenly, the blocks went really out of control and started making towers.

"COME ON, ASH! USE IT NOW!" Angelina screamed, while being held down by Jeremy so she didn't fall.

"This better work." Ash said as he presented the passport, then after a few minutes, everything came to a screeching halt.

"OH NO!" Angelina cried, pointing at Plusle and Minun falling off the blocks and Tory grabbed them, also going down.

"TORY!" Ash called.

Suddenly, one of the Deoxys came out from the sea of blocks and grabbed Tory. The other one used its psychic powers to get Ash down from the robot as Pikachu managed to surface, surprisingly standing on top of Rayquaza's head, whom also emerged from the sea of block-robots. The green Deoxys used its powers to lift Ash and Pikchu into the sky, flying along side the red Deoxys holding Tory, Plusle, and Minun; then Angelina and Jeremy caught up to them on Dragonite.

Rayquaza suddenly flew in between them, roaring happily before heading back into the Ozone and disappearing from sight.

Dragonite landed in the plaza, Jeremy and Angelina jumped off and were greeted by the rest of the group just as Ash and Tory and the Deoxys touched down.

Once the green Deoxys landed, it let Tory go.

"TORY!" Professor Lund yelled as he ran up to his son.

"Daddy!"

"Tory, I'm so happy you're safe." Lund said as he hugged his child.

"But I'm only okay, because of my friends." Tory admitted.

Just then, Plusle and Minun hopped on Tory's shoulders and started nuzzling him. Instead of screaming, Tory laughed.

Everyone watched with smiles. Tory was over his fear. The two Deoxys rise into the sky and flashed off another green-and-purple auroras before disappearing out of sight.

Hours later, Angelina and friends were back onto the monorail after saying their good-byes to Tory, Professor Lund, Yuko, Sid, Rebecca, Rafe and his sisters; they were now traveling to mainland to finish their journey to the Hoenn League Tournament along with Ash and friends whom were heading in the same direction.

§To Be Continued§

I'm so glad I had time to finish up this chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading. All comments and reviews are welcomed! Thanks, next chapter will be up soon!


	48. Battle Of Hoenn's Legendaries

Yeah, the movie was awesome the first time I watched it, but it took a lot of planning to form the movie into the chapter! Thanks for the reviews, guys! Here's the next chapter, it's similarly based on the two episodes **_'Gaining Groudon'_** and **_'The Scuffle of Legends'_**! I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas. Enjoy!

**Chapter 51: Battle of Hoenn's Legendaries**

Last time, Angelina and friends vacationed in Jeremy and Drew's hometown of Larousse City; they weren't the only ones since Ash and friends had arrived so Ash could participate in the Battle Tower. They met up with knew trainers, and also saved the city from being destroyed by the Legendary Sky Pokemon Rayquaza and two Pokemon from outer space named Deoxys, which a young trainer named Tory befriended one of them.

Now the gang is on their way to Sootopolis City so Angelina and Jeremy could challenge Juan of the Sootopolis Gym for their last Hoenn badges, but one night, Angelina received a call from Lance of the Kanto Region's Elite Four saying he needed her help to stop Team Aqua and Magma from controling the legendary Pokemon Kyogre and Groudon with the Red and Blue Orbs.

After assuring her friends they'd meet up in Sootopolis City, Angelina met up with Lance on Team Magma's secret base; a gigantic dark red ship. The two of them blended in perfectly with the other grunts with their matching red hooded shirts with horned heads and a mountain **_M_** on the front, either gray pants or a gray mini skirt, red boots, and red gloves.

They just found out that Team Magma had Kyogre captured and they ran into Team Aqua's Commander Shelley, whom had just released the legendary Pokemon to the sea.

A blue submarine emerged in the distance with two figures standing on top and a bright light glowed for a second. Then Kyogre, a gigantic orca-like creature with yellow eyes and huge flippers with red designs over its blue-and-white smooth skin, fired off a white beam from its mouth and struck Team Magma's ship.

"With your help, I think its about time we'd stop Kyogre's wrath," Lance told Angelina, whom nodded.

"We gotta jump. There's no choice."

Recognizing the voice; Angelina and Lance looked over the side to the lower level and saw Ash and his friends.

"It's Ash! What's he doing here?" Lance asked.

Brock, May, and Max climbed on the railing, then the three fell into the ocean when the ship gave a sudden jerk. Then Ash and Pikachu was tackled into the opposite direction by a couple Mightyena and was cornered by Tabitha.

"ASH!" Angelina screamed and about to jump over the railing, but was suddenly held back by Lance.

"Stay here! We'll follow Team Magma and make sure Ash is safe, and I made sure my Gyrados would rescue his friends, too."

Angelina sighed in relief, "Okay, thanks."

They followed right behind Tabitha onto Team Magma's helicopter, which then takes to the sky; leaving the destroyed base with Maxie and heading toward Monsu Island. They exited the helicopter in a few minutes, arriving at the temple on Monsu Island and were greeted by Team Aqua grunts and their leader Archie: he had a rugged face with piercing blue eyes, he wore the traditional Aqua headscarf, but his uniform was entirely black. He starts off by revealing the capture of two Magma grunts, in which their mission was to steal Groudon, but they both had failed and that angers Maxie.

"Look Archie, you know as well as I do that the Groudon means absolutely nothing to you or your organization. So why don't you hand it over?"

Archie laughs heartily, "I guess you don't realize what a predicament you're in. Fact is, we've got Kyogre, too."

"You **_what_**?" Maxie said in shock.

"Here's the deal: Team Magma will be dissolved today, while Team Aqua emerges as rulers of the world, or else." Archie warned, taking out the Red Orb. "If you prefer, I could use Kyogre to destroy everything while you stand there."

"Oh no he's not," Angelina growled with clenched fists at her sides. "I'll make sure he-"

"Stay here, Angel," Lance grabbed the girl by her arm and pulled her toward the helicopter. "Come on, we'll go see Ash." He unlocking a door after they were inside the helicopter and entered a room where Ash was held hostage.

"Back off! No way are you getting Pikachu from me!" Ash shouted, holding Pikachu closer to him.

"Hey Ash. It's me, Lance," the Dragon Master took off his hood.

"Yeah, take it easy," Angelina pulled off her hood, too.

"Angelina? Lance? No way!"

"Shush, we're undercover doing research." Angelina said, but her brother looked confused. "I'm still Kanto's League Master, and I'm part of the Pokemon G-Men organization."

"Our assignment is to stop Team Aqua and Team Magma from misusing ancient Pokemon." Lance informed.

"That's what they're doing?" Ash asked worriedly. "Something happened to Pikachu."

"Yes." Lance said. "Your Pikachu bonded with that Blue Orb, didn't it?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You see. The intense energy contained inside the Blue and Red Orbs can control ancient Pokemon," Lance explained. "But if any living being comes in contact with these two orbs for too long, their amazing powers will completely overcome the mind!"

"Oh no!" Ash said.

"That means humans have to be extremely careful when they are handling them, too." Angelina added, then looked to her brother. "Since your Pikachu was such a small Pokemon most likely it was unable to resist the energy of the orb."

"So what do you think's gonna happen to Pikachu?" Ash asked sadly.

"Don't worry, Ash." Lance said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Angel and I will find a way to break Pikachu's bond with the Blue Orb. Now you two just wait here a bit longer. Okay?"

"Thanks." Ash told him, then received an assuring hug from his older sister.

After Lance and Angelina walked back outside, they were greeted by dark gray clouds in the sky and low rumbling of thunder. Then Team Aqua's Walrain and Team Magma's Mightyena were battling while Archie took off in his mini-copter, while still holding a now glowing Red Orb, to greet the released Kyogre in the ocean.

Archie orders Kyogre to sink the land into the sea; Kyogre roars loudly, forming whirlpools in the ocean and rain pouring from the sky with lightning and thunder.

"Oh well, Maxie! I was hoping that you'd be able to witness my conquest of the world, but now it doesn't look like that will be possible, sadly." Archie said, looking into the glowing Red Orb. "But this should give you a taste, that island you're on will soon be swallowed up by the sea."

"Are you crazy?!" Maxie yelled. "There are people on this island as well as your own!"

"So what!" Archie replied, uncaringly.

Angelina stood in shock, but Lance pulled off his hood once more, "Listen! You must release the Red Orb or you will become obsessed by it, Archie!"

"I don't think so." Archie sneered. "Let's go, Kyogre!"

Kyogre roared, its flippers met together as many tornadoes formed and lightning flashed, scaring the Mightyena and Walrain. Shelley and Tabitha gave orders to their respective teams to gather up the Pokemon.

"That Red Orb was created by evil people long ago to control ancient Pokemon and then use them as weapons! But the power of those ancient people's wisdom was, and by their actions, the natural order of things began to erode." Lance informed. "As the ancient Pokemon grew more evil, and their behavior more out of hand, the people who controlled them also became more evil. This is why the two orbs were sealed away, to prevent mankind from repeating the same mistakes."

"NO! We've been analyzing those orbs and we've arrived to the conclusion that only those weak can find their hearts possessed by them!" Maxie defended. "We had those ancient Pokemon, they're necessary for us to build a better world for everyone!"

"How can you believe such nonsense?" Lance said incredulously.

Maxie stared suspiciously, "Exactly who are you anyway?"

There wasn't time for an answer when Kyogre's disturbance caused a tremor that made Team Magma's helicopter collapse and Lance, Maxie, and Angelina were thrown to the ground. Tabitha helped up Maxie while Angelina and Lance stood up and ran off to rescue Ash; they weren't the only ones and found Ash's friends on the other side.

"Lance? It was you after all!" Brock said in relief.

The Dragon Master nodded, pulling off the Magma uniform and was now wearing black boots, a black cape that was red on the inside, a long-sleeved shirt and pants in red-and-black; red in the middle and cuffs, and the rest all black.

"Wow! It's really you!" Max exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey guys, don't forget me!"

Angelina was also back into her original outfit of a red pleited mini skirt, a light blue sleeveless shirt, light blue socks halfway pushed down into white shoes with a red stripe over them, a white sun hat with half a Pokeball design, silverish-purple fingerless grip gloves, a small circular bell made of crystal hung on a silver chain around her neck, and across her shoulder slung a yellow shoulder bag.

"ANGELINA!" May and Max embraced the older girl happily.

"I'm sure you're looking for Ash. He's in there." Lance said; nodding toward the huge crack in the helicopter side that came from the storeroom. "Hey Ash!"

Ash appeared, smiling to see everyone. "Hey you guys. Hey Lance."

"How's Pikachu doing?" Lance asked.

"Not so good. Pikachu just ran out through this hole." Ash informed. "I need to get out of here! Look-"

"Quick, all hands into the ruins!" Shelley's voice called out.

There was a rumble and everyone looked towards the see and saw that a huge tsunami was coming.

"Aaah! Tidal wave!" Max exclaimed.

"We better move, guys!" Brock warned.

"Stand back! Dragonite will help you get out." Lance said, taking out a Pokeball and throwing it. "DRAGONITE! Come on out and use Dragon Claw!"

The Dragon Pokemon appeared and slashed the hole big enough for Ash to escape the helicopter.

"That was great, Lance. Thanks." Ash said.

"We'll go take care of Archie and get the Red Orb back," Lance assured. "You guys need to go and find Pikachu."

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "You ready to go?" he asked his friends, whom nodded.

While Ash and friends headed into the forest, Angelina joined Lance on his Dragonite and flew into the sky to stop Archie and Kyogre.

"Do your worst, Kyogre!" Archie roared. "Your worst, I say!"

"Archie! Give up the Red Orb at once!" Lance ordered.

"Not on your life!" Archie growled. "Kyogre, get him!"

Kyogre jumped out of the ocean and fired of a huge blast of jumped out of the ocean and fired off a huge spiraling blast of water.

"Dodge it!" Lance yelled, protectively holding Angelina close while Dragonite moved quickly. "Now Gyrados! Hyper Beam!"

The Red Gyrados appeared with a glowing orb in its mouth and formed into a beam, which Kyogre countered with its own; both attacks collided, but Kyogre's was more powerful.

"Oh my!" Angelina gasped.

"That's amazing power." Lance agreed.

"There's no one in the world who can stoop me now, and soon this whole world will be all mine!" Archie proclaimed, then the Red Orb now showed a glowing white marking and absorbs into Archie's hand. The Team Aqua leader screams as he was glowing with the orb's markings and laughing insanely.

"Ahh! They bonded!" Lance said.

Back on Monsu Island, Pikachu approached the storehouse on Team Aqua's submarine that held Groudon inside.

"PIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAA!"

"How can this be possible?" Lance gasped, while Pikachu use a super powerful Thunder Attack to blow up the storehouse and cause an explosion that caught everyone's attention.

"PIKACHU!" Ash screamed.

"Pikachu?" Angelina asked. "Oh no!"

Emerging from the rubble was the red dinosaur-like creature with huge claws, spikes on its sides, yellow eyes, and black patterns incrusted on its back. Pikachu rode on its head with red eyes and markings; everyone sighed with relief. The island's volcano erupts, and the storm finally ends.

Kyogre then forms another tidal wave bigger than the first one that could possibly cover the whole island, but Groudon fires off a powerful Solar Beam that broke right through the wave.

"This makes no sense! Why would Groudon launch a Solar Beam to stop Kyogre's tidle wave?" Lance wondered confusedly, then gasped in realization, "Of course!" he guided Dragonite back to Monsu Island, finding Ash and friends. "Groudon is attempting to stop Kyogre from destroying the island. But in order to do that, Groudon first needed to get out of Team Aqua's cargo container. So Groudon used the Blue Orb to ask Pikachu for help."

"Oh yeah, and that's why the Blue Orb bonded with Pikachu, right?" Ash asked.

"It isn't safe. You've got to go while Groudon's holding off Kyogre." Lance warned. "There's not much time."

"No Lance. You take care of the others, I'm staying here on the island." Ash insisted determinedly.

"What?" May and Max yelled.

"But Ash, you can't!" Brock tried to reason.

"I'm not leaving Pikachu! There's no way I could run off and leave it here alone." Ash argued, with his fist held up clenched tightly. "I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna help! Even if I have to battle Kyogre and Groudon by myself!"

"By yourself?" Max asked.

"Won't happen because I'll be right here with you." Brock said, holding up a Pokeball.

"Yeah, me too." May agreed, taking out her Pokeball. "We're a team!"

"And I'll help you too, Ash!" Max added. "No matter what blows up."

"Thanks guys," Ash said, then he turned to his sister. "Will you help, too?"

"As League Master, I already am since it's my responsibility to protect Pokemon, but as your sister, you can always count on me being there." Angelina smiled, and her brother returned one back.

Kyogre used another powerful blast of water and fired it toward Groudon.

"A Hydro Pump!" Max exclaimed. "That attack will be super strong against a ground-type like Groudon!"

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled, watching his Pokemon stop Kyogre's water attack with a powerful Thunderbolt.

"All right, Ash! I think you should ride with me on Dragonite while the rest of you go ahead and hop on Gyrados!" Lance instructed. "We'll approach Groudon and wait for the perfect opportunity to save Pikachu. See if the four of you can distract Kyogre and Archie."

"Okay Lance," Brock said.

"Thanks you guys," Ash grinned.

"Just leave it to us." Max assured.

"And please Ash, don't do anything crazy." May added.

Ash laughed, "Don't worry, and you guys take care of yourselves, too." He jumped onto Lance's Dragonite and they flew over Kyogre and Groudon's battle while Angelina, Brock, May, and Max rode on Lance's Red Gyrados.

Brock and May call out Beautifly and Mudkip to distract Archie and Kyogre, which works perfectly and Angelina tells the Red Gyrados to swim away. Kyogre then summons another tidal wave, but takes a direct hit of Groudon's powerful Solar Beam.

Archis screams in pain as the markings disappear and the Red Orb emerges, he then faints and falls off his chopper, but Dragonite safely catches the Team Aqua leader in its arms. Then the Blue Orb also leaves Pikachu; the electric Pokemon faints and falls off of Groudon's head and into the ocean.

"PIKACHU!" Ash yelled and dove off of Dragonite and into the ocean after his sinking Pokemon.

"No Ash!" Lance yelled.

"I HAVE TO HELP!" Angelina screamed as Brock was trying to keep her from jumping in after her brother. "HE'S BEEN DOWN THERE TOO LONG!"

Not even noticing that Kyogre had disappeared into the ocean, the Legendary Pokemon emerged with Ash and Pikachu on its back; the Red Gyrados swam alongside.

"Hey Ash!" May shouted. "Pikachu!"

"Are you all right?" Brock yelled.

"Yeah, Kyogre helped bring us back up." Ash said, then looked down at his Pikachu as it was waking up. "Pikachu!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said at the sight of his trainer. **_(Ash!)_**

"That's awesome! Buddy, you're okay! You're okay!" Ash cried happily, hugging his Pokemon.

Angelina sighed in relief, not even caring that she was now leaning against Brock and he had his arms around her; she was happy that everything would be back to normal again. "Hey Ash, do me a favor!"

"What?"

"Don't **_EVER_** do that again!" Angelina warned, and her brother caught on with a nervous laugh.

"Hop on, Ash!" Lance said, appearing on his Dragonite. "I'll get you off of there."

"That's good." Brock smiled. "Thanks to Groudon, all of Kyogre's rage just vanished into thin air."

"Yeah, you're right," Angelina said.

"Look, up there!" Max shouted, pointing to the two orbs.

Everyone looked to see the Blue and Red Orbs rising in the air and circling each other.

"Looks like the orbs are doing some kind of dance," Ash said, now sitting on Lance's Dragonite.

The orbs combine into one, and then dissipate. Groudon and Kyogre stare at each other briefly, and then retreat back to their respective lairs.

Later that evening after returning to the shore of Monsu Island, Angelina stands with her friends, brother, and Lance.

"Look! The lava all cooled off and now there's a lot more land," Max pointed out.

"And history repeats itself as once again Groudon and Kyogre have created a new world." Lance added.

"A new world?" May asked.

"Just another legend. The legend that Groudon and Kyogre would embody mother nature and take control over land and sea." Lance explained.

"But if humans try using the Blue and Red Orbs to control them." Brock began in curiosity.

"Then they have no choice but to destroy the orbs," Lance replied. "It's as if they were telling us that mother nature will not be controlled by selfish desire."

"That's cool," Ash said. "But I wonder, think we'll be able to see them again?"

As the sun sets on one of the most fierce battle's our world has ever seen, our heroes are left with a renewed understanding of the need for mankind to coexist peacively with nature, a lesson they'll carry with them wherever they go.

**§To Be Continued§**

Yay, another chapter finished! The first time I saw these two episodes, I didn't think Lance would return, but it was awesome that he did. So the next chapter will be updated very soon. Thank you for reading, all comments welcomed!


	49. Eighth Badge Earned

Back again! Thanks for the reviews and being very patient! Here's the next chapter, it takes place during the episode _**'The Great Eight Fate'**_. I don't own Pokemon except my own ideas and characters.

**Chapter 52: Eighth Badge Earned**

Last time, Angelina helped Lance along with her brother and friends against the teams of Aqua and Magma so they'd stop controlling Kyogre and Groudon with the Red and Blue Orbs.

Now Angelina can concentrate on winning her last and final gym badge as she travels to Sootopolis City to meet back up with her friends. She arrived at the Pokemon Center, where she found her friends, and then made their way to the Sootopolis Gym, which is also Juan's mansion. They walked inside and were greeted by the gym's leader himself, whom quickly accepted Angelina and Jeremy's request to a battle.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**Walking down this endless highway**_  
_**With nothing but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced battle is the ultimate test  
From the earth of land, the sea, and sky  
We can never win, but we sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable  
From the stars and the ancient past  
They'll come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable  
Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

The battlefield consisted of a gigantic pool of crystal blue water with light blue floated mats. Juan stood on the left side, while Angelina and Jeremy stood on the right and Juan's butler, Sebastian, was the official judge.

The battle would be a five-versus-five, but separated into two stages. The first was a double battle that would end whenever two Pokemon from one side are unable to battle. Any remaining Pokemon would then be used in the second stage, which is a standard three-versus-three battle. Juan's team lineup consisted of Sealeo, Seaking, Luvdisc, Whiscash, and Milotic while Angelina and Jeremy used Salamence _**(Jeremy's)**_, Shadow _**(Absol)**_, Manectric _**(Jeremy's)**_, Chocolate _**(Pikachu)**_, and Sceptile _**(Jeremy's)**_.

Amber and Christina were on the edge of their seats cheering on their friends as the gym battle grew very intense, both sides taking out each others Pokemon until Juan was down to his Luvdisc and Milotic while Angelina and Jeremy had Pikachu and Sceptile.

"Luvdisc, use Ice Beam!"

"Dodge it, Sceptile! Then use Bullet Seed!"

Luvdisc opened its mouth, a sphere of white light formed and was released in a beam of baby blue ice toward Jeremy's Sceptile, in which it dodged the attack and shot a machine-gun style of seeds and caused a massive hit to Luvdisc.

"Let's go, Chocolate! Thunder!" Angelina said.

"Hyper Beam, Luvdisc!" Juan countered.

Luvdisc released a goldish-white beam, striking the platform that Chocolate was perched on and flipped the electric mouse into the water. Chocolate was still able to strike, being completely underwater and the electric attack's strength greatly magnified. Luvdisc was floating on its side, Xs in its eyes.

"Luvdisc is unable to battle!" Sebastian exclaimed. "Pikachu wins!"

"Nice job, Chocolate!" Angelina smiled as her Pokemon resurfaced.

"Pika!" Chocolate said tiredly. _**(Thanks) **_She managed to get onto the platform before she fainted as well.

"Pikachu is also unable to battle. It's a double knockout!" Sebastian declared as Angelina recalled her fainted Pokemon to her stone-studded Pokeball.

"Don't worry, Angel," Jeremy grinned assuringly. "I'll win this battle for us." He then turned back to the battlefield when Juan called out his last Pokemon.

"Milotic, go!"

The magnificent water-serpent Pokemon appeared in the water.

"Ooow, that Milotic is even more prettier than the one back in Slateport City!" Christina said.

"It looks really strong, too," Amber added.

"End this, Milotic! Ice Beam!" Juan called.

A sphere of white light formed in Milotic's mouth, then released in a baby-blue beam.

"Dodge to your right, Sceptile!" Jeremy yelled.

"Tile!" Sceptile jumped over to a platform, while the other one was now a block of ice.

"Bullet Seed!"

"Counter with Twister!"

Sceptile fired off hundreds of seeds, which were then blown away by a cyclone of wind from Milotic's tail.

"Blizzard, Milotic!"

Juan's Pokemon launched a barrage of ice and snow towards Sceptile, which it quickly dove into the water to evade the attack.

"We've got it now, Milotic! Use Ice Beam to freeze the water!" Juan ordered.

Milotic complied and the pool was frozen over, but it made sure it was on top of the water before it became trapped also.

"Oh no! Sceptile's trapped!" Christina said worriedly.

Amber looked at the frozen pool and saw the ice starting to crack near Milotic. "No, he's not."

"What do you mean?" Christina asked.

"Look over next to Milotic. The ice is cracking." Amber responded.

Christina looked where Amber said and saw that the ice was cracking. Several minutes later, Sceptile came out through the crack, its leaves on its arms were glowing in a green aura and becoming one to form a scythe blade.

"Okay Sceptile, Leaf Blade!"

Sceptile swung down on Milotic and sent reeling, but quickly recovered.

"Twister, Milotic!"

Milotic unleashed the cyclone-wind attack towards Sceptile, which it slid on the ice to evade the attack. This happened a second time only for the same result.

"Two can play at ice skating, right Milotic?" Juan asked.

"Mil!" Milotic nodded, then starting to slide a long the ice.

"Use Bind!" Juan said.

Milotic managed to catch up with Sceptile. Then it wrapped its long body around him before squeezing him.

"Sceptile can't move," Christina said.

"Jeremy needs to think of something fast or else this battle is over," Amber warned.

Jeremy could see that Sceptile was having trouble breathing now. "Sceptile, try to face Milotic," he said; his Pokemon struggled, but was able to look Milotic in the eyes. "Now use Bullet Seed!"

Sceptile took a little breath before firing off the attack. Milotic screamed as the attack hit its face. Soon, it was forced to let go of Sceptile. Sceptile took several deep breaths, welcoming the oxygen back into his lungs.

"Use Leaf Blade while its disoriented!" Jeremy commanded.

Sceptile complied and Milotic slammed the frozen ground. The force of impact had actually caused the ice to break. Milotic sank into the water but came back to the surface a few minutes later. It was clear that Milotic was really wearing down. Sceptile was feeling a little worn down as well, but now as worn down as Milotic was.

"Let's try a different tactic, Milotic. Combine Blizzard with Twister," Juan said.

Milotic unleashed the Twister attack. But Jeremy could see ice and snow mixed into the cyclonic attack. Sceptile did the best he could to evade the attack. But his lower arms ended up frozen. Sceptile flexed and was able to break the ice around his arms. Jeremy could see that Sceptile was wearing down more.

"End this now, Sceptile. Use Solarbeam!" Jeremy ordered.

"Counter with Ice Beam, Milotic," Juan said.

Sceptile fired the Solarbeam from his mouth. Milotic then fired the Ice Beam from its tail. The two attacks met in the center, trying to get the better over the other.

"You can do it, Sceptile," Jeremy said.

"Hang in there, Milotic," Juan said.

Both Pokemon gave it their all. Finally, Milotic began to cave. The Solarbeam then started pushing the Ice Beam back. Upon reaching Milotic, the two attacks exploded. When the smoke cleared, Milotic was nowhere to be seen. Then a shadow appeared on the pool's surface. Milotic surfaced, swirls in its eyes.

"Milotic is no longer able to battle. Sceptile wins! The victory of this battle goes to Mistress Angelina from Pallet Town and Master Jeremy from Goldenrod City!"

"All right! We did it, Sceptile!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"Tile!" Sceptile flashed a thumbs up before it was recalled to its Pokeball.

"You were awesome!" Angelina exclaimed, hugging Jeremy.

"And I couldn't have done it without you." Jeremy said, smiling.

Juan recalled his fallen aquatic Pokemon and thanked it, then turned to see the two trainers now joined by their friends and pressed on a smile.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Arriving back to the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon, Angelina and friends were surprisingly greeted by a girl no older than sixteen with green eyes, a petite yet curvy figure, and glossy blackish-purple hair that extended to her mid-back with pieces of shorter hair flowing at the sides of her face and curling at her chin. She wore a white elbow-sleeved shirt with a sparkling Beautifly on the front, a dark blue jean pleited mini skirt, a jet-black beret, black knee-high boots, a silver belt holding five red-and-white Pokeballs, a Master Ball on a silver chain around her neck, and carried a purple backpack.

"DANIELLE!" Angelina and Amber ran up to the girl excitedly.

Christina stared confusedly while Jeremy watched them with a chuckle. He was well told by Tracey that Danielle Styles had longed quit her dream to become a Pokemon Master and had taken up assisting her mother at the Crystal City Pokemon Center. Although with Jeremy's encouragement, Dani returned to Pokemon training and departed for the Hoenn Region _**(during times that Angelina was in Orange and Johto a second time)**_. She captured new Pokemon (Gardevoir, Blaziken, Absol, Mightyena), collected the badges, and competed in Hoenn's Evergrande Conference.

"What brings you to Hoenn?" Angelina asked.

The girls were sitting down and talking while Christina and Jeremy took everyone's Pokemon to be checked and healed by Nurse Joy, and before they traveled back to Juan's mansion for dinner that evening.

"Thought I'd try my luck in the tournament again," Dani said.

Amber stared doubtfully, "That's not what you told me a couple months ago. You've been dating Seamus Nichols, and he's coming with his father to the Crystalline concert."

Dani's face turned red from embarrassment while Angelina gasped, "You and Seamus?! When did you two get together?"

"Thanks a lot," Dani muttered, glaring at Amber, whom was grinning like a cheshire cat. "Well Angel, I didn't meet Seamus until I battled him during the Silver League Conference about two years ago. He reminded me of Gary's arrogant attitude and didn't go easy, but he said I put up a good fight and treated me out to dinner that night. He brought out a side that really surprised me, we even formed a friendship and the rest is history."

Angelina was confused, "I hope Jeremy knows about that because he was in love with you first. And I know you never received the last badge from Viridian City, so the only other way to get in was having the official league badge."

"Yes, you're right. Jeremy and I did have a long talk and just decided to remain friends, and Marcus had saved the badge that Tracey earned so I could use that to compete," Dani explained. "And when I lost and didn't want to head home, Seamus let me stay with him and I watched him defeat the rest of the tournament."

"Okay girls, here's your Pokemon," Jeremy said, walking back with Christina carrying trays filled with Pokeballs.

"Piii-chu, pi, pichu!" TJ, the Pichu, cried with hearts in his eyes and hopped from his perch on Jeremy's shoulder onto Dani's and nuzzled his face against hers affectionately.

"My goodness! Aren't you the sweetest!" Dani cooed, taking the little Pokemon in her arms and hugged him.

"You've been neglecting Chocolate for a while, she was always your outside Pokemon before you received the eggs." Jeremy told his friend.

"I know," Angelina sighed. "Hey Dani, you told me once before you've always wanted a Pikachu of your own, so now's your chance." She held out TJ's Pokeball. "I've hatched him from the egg I found back at Lilycove's Safari Zone, and I want you to take care and train him into a strong Pokemon."

"Oh Angel, you're such a good friend!" Dani smiled, taking the device in her right hand. "Yes! I've got a Pichu!" she made a 'v' for victory with her left hand.

"Pi, pichu, pi!" TJ cheered, while everyone laughed.

In half an hour, Angelina and friends traveled back to Juan's mansion. They were not only introduced to the mayor of Sootopolis City, but also the ex-gym leader of Sootopolis gym and Hoenn's current Elite Four Champion Wallace. He was a tall blue haired man with sea green eyes wearing a white beret, purple pants, white shoes, a collared blue-and-white long sleeved shirt and a white cape. He is also a Contest Master and was quite the gentleman to the girls, but they didn't mind and enjoyed the attention.

They sat in a huge dinning room on cushiony velvet golden chairs at a pinewood table set with sparkling china and a soft and purely white table cloth. The pure gold candleholders were lot so that the crystal chandelier glittered high above them. Their dinner was enormous; steaming mashed potatoes with hot, thick gravy, a buttered chicken sitting in meat juice, a white, plump turkey along with a tender and juicy pink ham. There was also a dish of steaming, yellow corn, nice, hot squash and hot, buttered rolls. Their dessert consisted of mountains of candy of almost every flavor and almost every kind, about 20 different, sweet flavors of ice cream, and more.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Juan said, tapping his wineglass with a dessert spoon. "Earlier today, I have faced a most spectacular battle with Angelina Murakami and Jeremy Cretonne. I now award them each the Rain Badge and wish them the best of luck in the Hoenn League!" he held out the two badges shaped into three water drops in triangle form.

Angelina and Jeremy took their final badges and smiled while their friends applauded and cheered.

The following day, Angelina and friends sat in the front row of the city's outdoor amphitheater with a moat that separates the stage and the stands. Amber brought her camcorder and was taping Juan's performance of his different Water Pokemon's displays of Water Guns and Bubblebeams, even water sprinklers went off in strategically placed parts of the city.

The mayor now stands next to Juan, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much! Now we'd like to-" he stops when a loud but haunting cry is heard and everyone looks around in confusion. "Huh?"

"What is that?" Juan asked. "Where's that sad tone coming from?"

"From us, up here," said a female voice and everyone saw a Meowth-shaped balloon that appeared out of nowhere. Inside was Team Rocket's Jessie, James, Meowth and a light blue colored Pokemon that resembled a wind chime with a yellow suction cup on its head and a cloth-like appendage.

"That's right!" James smiled. "Chimecho's voice is the perfect theme for your water theme!"

"Oh no!" Jeremy groaned.

"Since when did they get that?" Angelina whipped out her Pokedex.

'_**Chimecho, the Wind Chime Pokemon.'**_ Dexette informed. _**'When it becomes enraged, its cries result in ultrasonic waves that have the power to knock foes flying.'**_

"Such a wonderful tamber. It's obvious your Chimecho has been raised with much love," Juan complimented.

"You really think so? Thank you," James said.

"I must assume you're famous talented artists of the highest order," Juan informed.

"Prepare for trouble in its highest form," Jessie began.

"And then make it double since our trouble is far from the norm," James added.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people's within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off with artsy flare at the speed of light!"

"So surrender now or prepare yourselves for one flarish fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"It's nice they're adding to their motto now-and-then so it doesn't sound old," Dani noted. "So are they still chasing after Ash and his Pikachu?"

"Careful, Juan!" a familiar voice called out.

"Yep, and even that doesn't get old for them," Angelina said as they looked back, seeing Ash and his friends running down the steps.

"Those three are dangerous!" May warned.

"How can they be dangerous?" Juan asked.

"They're from an evil organization called Team Rocket," Brock informed.

"And I'm sure that they're here to steal all of your Pokemon," Max said.

"Hey, big mouth!" Jessie yelled.

"As a fellow artiste, I know a gym leader's Pokemon are invaluable." James replied.

"So we'll artfully steal them away!" Meowth cackled.

"Such a colossal waste, opting for money over the gift of exceptional Pokemon." Juan said disappointedly.

Meowth pressed a button that brought out a rocket that released a net that captured Juan's Pokemon and sets off an electric shock that hurts them.

"We've gotta go help Juan!" Ash told his friends.

"I'm genuinely touched by your concern, but please, have no fear," Juan assured calmly.

Everyone watched the Pokemon and stared in awe as Gorebyss' Mirror Coat, Tentacruel's Safeguard, and Barboach's Mud Sport are used to shield off the electricity and protect the other Pokemon.

"So by pooling their defensive attacks, then the whole group is safe!" Jeremy explained.

"Great idea!" Dani said.

"All right, Milotic! Iron Tail now!" Juan commanded.

Milotic's fan-like tail glows and destroys the net, freeing itself and the other Pokemon.

"Let's see, how 'bout we wrap this up with Twister?" Juan added.

Milotic unleashed the cyclone-wind attack that explodes the Meowth balloon and sends the Rockets soaring into the sky. The crowd cheers and applauds for Juan and his Milotic, then goes silent when Ash introduced himself and requests a battle, which Juan accepts and they leave in his boat for the gym.

Angelina and her friends depart Sootopolis City while Ash's last gym battle is underway. Now she's more determined than ever and looks forward to competing in the league tournament.

**§To Be Continued§**

I have not forgotten about this story, it took about twenty-six days to plan out the battle and decide to bring in another character, and put in the 8th season theme song. Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon!


	50. Festival Ending, Dark Arrival

Back again! I used a scene that you'll probably recognize from the episode _**"Rhapsody In Drew"**_. Everything else is pretty much mine and made up, so enjoy!

**Chapter 50: Festival Ending, Dark Arrival**

Now that Angelina and Jeremy have all the Hoenn badges and were joined by their friend Danielle Styles, they are ready to compete in the Hoenn League Championships. Although their trip to Evergrande City was held off for a fews days when they traveled toward Slateport City to watch Drew and May compete in the Pokemon Grand Festival.

They grew suspicious when Harley was acting buddy-buddy to May and finally figured out that he was scheming to defeat her, but failed as his Banette and Cacturne were knocked out by May's Beautifly and Bulbasaur in a contest battle during the second round. Then after May defeats Anthony in the semi-finals, everyone is shocked when she is placed against Drew in the quarter-finals. A match that made not only everyone proud of May, but one that Angelina would never forget….

"_**Welcome back to the Pokemon Grand Festival!" MC Vivian announced to the crowded stadium. "The next battle on the third stage will be Drew versus May!" **_

_**Angelina and her friends sat with Ash, Max, Brock, and May's mother Caroline. They agree that the battle will be good and know May will give it her best as they watch her send out Combusken and Skitty while Drew calls out his Roselia and his newest, a dragon-and-ground Pokemon, Flygon. It looked similar to a large green dragonfly, except it only had a single pair of wings on its back. It had two short arms and legs, and a pair of large red eyes on either side of its head. Its eyes seemed normal rather than compound like a dragonfly's though, and its body was long and sleek instead of segmented.**_

"_**A Flygon!" Max exclaimed.**_

"_**A secret weapon he's hidden all this time!" Brock assumed.**_

"_**So that's a Flygon!" Ash wondered aloud, taking out his Pokedex.**_

"_**Flygon, the Mystic Pokemon." the pokedex read. "Flygon is the evolved form of Vibrava. It is known as the desert spirit from the song like voice from the sandstorms it whips up."**_

"_**I raised this Flygon specifically for this festival and this battle, May." Drew said, flicking his hair. "You get to face it in it's very first appearance."**_

_**May grinned, "Then I guess we'll have to make it a memorable one, right?" **_

"_**Here we go! Let the battle begin!" Vivian announced.**_

"_**Roselia, Petal Dance! Flygon!" Drew ordered, and his grass Pokemon fired a spiral of pink petals while Flygon zooms through it. **_

"_**Quick Skitty, Assist!" **_

_**May's pink Pokemon unleashes a Fire Spin that stops the spiraling petals and distracts **_

_**Flygon, but goes airborne and quickly dodges Combusken's Sky Uppercut. Combusken falls over and right on top of Skitty, with Flygon hovering over them both. **_

"_**I hope they're okay," Christina said.**_

"_**Drew's really good at the open stage format and it looked to me like Drew knew exactly how May was going to counter it." Jeremy explained.**_

"_**Yes, he's certainly a good trainer huh?" Caroline agreed. "And I don't expect he's the type to take it easy on someone who's down."**_

"_**Flygon Flamethrower, and Roselia use your Solar Beam!" Drew commanded.**_

_**Roselia released a powerful greenish-white beam while Flygon breathed out a stream **_

_**of flames towards Combusken and Skitty.**_

"_**May, dodge it!" Angelina yelled.**_

"_**Fire Spin, Combusken!" May countered, watching her fire/fighting Pokemon let loose a spiral of flames and block off the on-coming attacks. "Now! Drive it backwards!" she called and with all of Combusken's might, continued its fire attack as both of Drew's attacks were canceled out. Both May and Drew lose points, but Drew loses a bit more.**_

"_**Wow! What an awesome display!" Vivian exclaimed in awe to the applauding crowd. **_

"_**With a massive Fire Spin, May completely reversed Drew's double attack! And just like that, May surges into the lead again!"**_

"_**Way to hang in there, May!" Max cheered along side his friends.**_

_**May orders Combusken another Fire Spin, but Flygon counters with Sandstorm while Skitty aims a Blizzard at Roselia. However, the Sandstorm hits and Drew has Flygon sweep down and grab Roselia, taking it out of the way. May's Pokemon takes a lot of damage, and now left with 40 of points and one minute remaining on the clock. **_

_**May then orders another Assist from Skitty, this time sending out a Vine Whip, but misses Roselia and Flygon as they dodge easily and May's points lower. Then Combusken jumps really high, Skitty holds out the vines and Combusken jumps from the tip right at Flygon. However, Roselia tries to distract with Magical Leaf, but Skitty blocks with Blizzard.**_

_**  
"Flygon, Flamethrower now!"  
**_

"_**Just what I was hoping you'd do! Combusken! Dive into it!"**_

_**Combusken dove into the flames and charges straight towards Flygon, hitting it square-on with Sky Uppercut. The crowd is amazed, including all of May's friends and her mother.**_

"_**It's been a terrific comeback from May and her team! There's a feeling the entire stadium is pulling for her, as well as folks at home!" Vivian explained. "But looking at the points on the board, Drew still has a clear lead and May has less than 30 seconds to pull of what would be a huge upset!"**_

_**Now May orders Combusken to use Quick Attack and Skitty to Tackle, since Drew's Pokemon have just taken a bit of damage, but Roselia stops them with Stun Spore. **_

"_**Oh no!" May cried.**_

"_**Flygon now, hit'em with a Steel Wing!" Drew ordered.**_

_**Flygon's wings began to glow and took on a steel coating, and while May's Pokemon were paralyzed, they were knocked down just as the clock runs out and as May no longer had any points left.**_

"_**Time's up!" Vivian declared. "And our winner is Drew! He and his team will advance to the final four!"**_

"_**May! May! May! May! May! May!" the crowd chants, everyone standing and applauding for May while she thanks her Pokemon.**_

"_**Now there's something you don't see every day! The crowd is cheering their appreciation for the terrific performance May put on today!" Vivian said in surprise.**_

_**Angelina smiled, she and her friends were so proud of May for an intense battle and that placing in the top 8 was impressive for someone's first festival. They even cheered for Drew up until his final match with Robert for the ribbon cup, but his Flygon and Masquerain were taken out by Robert's Claydol and Milotic, and Robert was announced top co-ordinator and later presented the ribbon cup. They were slightly disappointed by Drew's loss, but at least he got pretty far as well, and they were all invited to the party to celebrate all of the participants' hard work. **_

May's experience in the Grand Festival gave her determination to succeed while everyone now turns their thoughts toward Evergrande City and the Hoenn League Championships.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**Walking down this endless highway**_  
_**With nothing but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced battle is the ultimate test **_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky  
We can never win, but we sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They'll come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
**__**Pokemon**_

"Arg!" Angelina screamed as yet another Hariyama mysteriously appeared in front of her.

Amber and Christina both suppressed laughs, while Dani and Jeremy were not so successful. They had flown toward Evergrande City on their flying Pokemon so Angelina could compete against Hoenn's Elite Four.

"Not funny," Angelina muttered. "Those things are friggin' scary."

"Scary or not, you're in Victory Road," Jeremy reminded her. "Big,scary Pokemon _**ARE**_ going to jump out at you."

Angelina sighed. "And we're only halfway through this!"

"Exactly," Dani intervened. "So you're going to have to deal."

"Hey, let's battle!" called out a person behind the group.

Angelina spun around and saw a boy about 5'6", with spiky black hair and brown eyes. She smiled and found the boy cute, yet she battled him, wounding half of her Pokemon in the process. She carelessly shoved the money in her skirt pocket, and continued through the cave with her friends.

"We're here!" Jeremy called. "I can't believe it. Are you nervous, Angel?"

Angelina nodded distractedly, her senses more focused on the fragrant beauty of Evergrande City. Flowers were in bloom everywhere, and a nice variety of them at that. There was a spray of lilies by one cabin, a bit of tulips by another, even a few petunias by the main building and they were all in different colors: a shot of orange, a glimpse of pink, an array of red. It all looked so elegant, and she didn't ever want to leave.

"We should go get a cabin," Amber said quietly and so they walked toward a large building that was far from the Hoenn League Collusseum that stood about twelve stories high and had finely polished exterior walls on the outside of the building.

They walked into the building that was a check-in with a Pokemon Center, Pokemon Mart and arena entrance for the challengers.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where I can get a cabin?" Angelina asked, approaching the center with her friends.

"You can actually get them when you fill out your registration," Nurse Joy informed. "Have you done that yet?"

"No, actually I haven't," Angelina said. Nurse Joy handed her a few forms and she sat down where her friends were waiting.

The registration asked for name of trainer, age and birthday, list of the Pokemon being used and the rest was official, like social security number and forms of identification. As Angelina turned the forms into the young nurse, she yawned and looked at the clock. 11: 46 pm.

"Oh geas, it's that late?" Angelina asked and glanced over at her friends.

Christina was starting to droop, her eyelids looked like they were nearly sealed shut while holding her sleeping Togepi. Jeremy was napping in the chair where he sat, Dani was sitting on a couch also asleep while holding her sleeping Pichu, and Amber was yawning.

Angelina tapped Jeremy, Amber and Dani on the shoulder. "Okay, guys, I have the key. Let's get going and go get some sleep."

"Don't you have to be up early?" Amber asked tiredly.

"No, thank God my battle doesn't start until three," Angelina responded.

"In the morning?!" exclaimed Dani, wide-eyed.

Angelina chuckled a bit. "No, of course not. In the afternoon," she told her as they headed out the doors and onto the perfectly paved path. It was still all-breathtaking in the moonlight, possibly even more than it had been in the sun. As Angelina turned the key in the lock, she marveled at how she had gotten so far. Months ago, it wouldn't even be possible. And now... she was finally there.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Angelina had nerves flopping around in her stomach ever since the moment she had woken up, which had been around ten-thirty. Now it was two-thirty, and they were getting worse.

"Are you nervous, Angel?" Dani questioned as she took the seat beside her friend, where she sat with the television remote frozen in her hand. The sad thing was that the TV wasn't even on.

"Like hell," Angelina responded and bit her lip. The clock was going by infinitely slow.

"Why do you have the remote in your hand?" Dani asked and Angelina chuckled a bit.

"Because I turned it on earlier and they were doing a special on the League and they were talking about me. It freaked me out, so I turned it off and I've been sitting here in fear ever since."

"You're going to do great, you know that, right?" Dani's words made Angelina smile a bit.

"No, I don't know that. But I'm going to try hard and do my best." It was the best answer Angelina could give her, but the perfectionist side of her was absolutely ready to shoot herself in the head.

"Angel, it's 2:45, don't you think we should be going?" Jeremy asked, glancing at the silver watch on his wrist.

"Yeah, probably," Angelina said dully, now nearly lifeless with fear.

"Cheer up, Angelina. You sound like you're going to a funeral," Jeremy scolded lightly.

"But I am going to one. My own," Angelina said glumly and it took the two teenagers a minute to realize what that meant.

"Confidence is key," Jeremy said cheerfully. "Now come on, people probably want pictures of you and I want to find us good seats."

"I suppose," Angelina replied and the three friends anxiously started off to the main building. Amber and Christina were already there and saving Jeremy and Dani seats.

"Bye, Angel," waved off Dani, TJ (Pichu) waved as well from his new trainer's arms.

"Good luck."

While her friends departed, Angelina was left alone at the arena entrance. She gave the guard her name and showed him her registration ticket and badges. And when he finally let her through, it was just about time.

"I can't believe this," Angelina muttered, staring up at all of the cheering spectators. She glanced around and spotted her friends, who were being joined by a another yet very familiar person with short spiky but messy black hair and dark green eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight of her rival, Seamus Nichols; she didn't think he would show up until the Hoenn League Tournament. There were also a few people who had seen her exploits at the JSC and could afford to make it to Evergrande City to see her battle the Elite Four.

"Welcome everybody to the Hoenn League's Elite Four competition. Each day, the previous finalists will battle members of the Elite Four at separate times." Lights flashed off in front of Angelina's eyes as she realized a lot of the crowd was paparazzi. "Our three o'clock battle will consist of Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town battling Elite Four member, Sidney." A big cheer went up from where Angelina's friends were sitting and a few yells of dismay went up on the other side of the arena. "And I think our challengers are ready to battle, so let's begin with a three-on-three battle with no time limit!"

Angelina's opponent, Elite Four member Sidney stood on his side of the battlefield. He was in his twenties with a bald head except for orange hair in the form of an Egyptian-style mohawk. He wore a long-sleeved red shirt with the collar poking out over a black vest that covered the top of the shirt, tan khakis, and black shoes with red soles.

"Welcome to Evergrande City, Angelina! Let's begin our battle, shall we? Go Sharpedo!" Sidney threw out a Pokeball and called out the black-and-white colored shark-like Pokemon into a tub of water that was provided for water Pokemon.

'_**Water-type, huh? Then my best bet is using an electric-type.'**_ Angelina inhaled and threw out a rhine-stone studded Pokeball. "I choose you Chocolate!" she said as her Pikachu formed onto the field in a flash of white light.

"Okay, Sharpedo, let's get this thing started! Use Crunch!"

Angelina decided this would work to her advantage. "Quick, Chocolate! While Sharpedo is out of the water, use your Thunder attack!"

Chocolate conjured a large amount of electricity from her body and let out a huge jolt of lightning. The wave of light hit Sharpedo dead on. So Angelina's idea had worked. Sharpedo was greatly weakened by the attack and it was starting to grow less agile, also playing up to what she wanted.

Sidney realized it to, and Angelina saw him bite his lip. "Sharpedo, use Surf!" he said and Angelina watched in horror as a torrent of water rose up from where Sharpedo sat and hit Chocolate.

It didn't take long to realize that Chocolate had fallen into the tub and that's when Angelina got a huge idea. Water reflected off the electricity. The water would make Chocolate's lightning showers twice as powerful.

"While you're in the water, Chocolate, use Shock Wave!"

Sharpedo, being already weak, was instantly knocked out.

"Sharpedo is unable to battle!" the referee called out. "Pikachu is the winner!"

Sidney rushed to the tub, Pokeball in hand. "You did great," he coaxed. "You deserve a good rest." He put Sharpedo's Pokeball back on his belt and reached for another. "Ok, Cacturne! You can take this one on! Go!" A few seconds later, the scarecrow cactus-like Pokemon was released.

By now, Angelina was at a type disadvantage, but she didn't care much. "Use your Spark attack, Chocolate!" she called. If she was at a disadvantage, she needed to use her Pikachu's most powerful attacks. She wasn't going down without a fight. An electric current began to flow around Chocolate's body, and then quickly charged across the field and tackled Cacturne to shock it. Cacturne staggered back from the impact and sparks briefly shot around its body.

"Cacturne, strike back with Dynamicpunch!" Cacturne quickly sprung back and smashed Chocolate in the face with its left hand, creating a small explosion from the impact that knocked Chocolate back slightly. Chocolate seemed to endure it with no problems at first but then began shaking its head violently as confusion set in.

"Cacturne, let's try Faint Attack!"

Angelina groaned as the tall Pokemon disappeared and Chocolate was getting hit by something she couldn't see. "Oh no!" she cried as her Pikachu collapsed. "You did well little buddy," she told her as she withdrew the Pokemon. She gripped another Pokeball. It might have been her biggest chance. "Spritz, let's go!" The white light from her Pokeball materialized into the blue aqua-rabbit Pokemon Azumarill. "Okay, let's try an Ice Beam!"

A glowing white ball formed in Azumarill's mouth, then fired off in a baby blue beam and hit Cacturne and made him visible. The Dark/Grass Pokemon couldn't move and was frozen solid.

"Cacturne!" Sidney yelped, as he looked worriedly at the cactus Pokemon.

"Let's finish it off, Spritz. Use your Surf attack!"

The aqua-rabbit conjured a large wave of water that knocked over the block of ice that Cacturne was trapped in. The block broke and Cacturne was released, but fainted.

"Cacturne is unable to battle!" the referee said. "Azumarill is the winner!"

"The battle is almost over!" exclaimed the announcer. "Sidney is down to his last Pokemon. I think this might be a win for Angelina Murakami!"

"I highly doubt I can beat you at this point, but as an Elite Four I can't just give up!" Sidney said to Angelina as he recalled the fainted cactus and enlarged his last Pokeball. "Okay, come on, Mightyena!" The wolf-like Pokemon was released and full of snarls and piercing red eyes. Spritz withdrew a bit, intimidated by the Mightyena.

"C'mon Spritz! You can take this!" Angelina called out. "Use Defense Curl!" The Azumarill nodded and curled up into a ball.

"Mightyena, hit it with a Tackle attack!"

Mightyena rushed forward and tackled Spritz, but the water Pokemon took the attack fairly easily.

"Spritz, use Rollout and go in a circle around it!"

Spritz started spinning rapidly, then shot off and started circling the Mightyena.

"Damn it…. Mightyena, try to stop it with Crunch!"

Mightyena lunged toward the Azumarill in an attempt to bite it, but by the time

Mightyena reached where it was it was already gone. Spritz kept going in circles around Mightyena, who in turn kept trying to bite the rolling Pokemon, who was also picking up speed as it rolled along.

"Hit it now, Spritz!"

Spritz suddenly altered its course and slammed into Mightyena hard from the side, sending it flying into the floor, and it didn't get back up either. Spritz then came to a halt and stopped spinning.

"Mightyena is unable to battle! Azumarill is the winner! Victory of this match goes to Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town!"

A cheer went up from the crowd, Angelina smiled and hugged her Azumarill and recalled it after thanking her.

"Well like I said, I didn't have much of a chance anyway!" Sidney said to Angelina after returning his Pokemon, then gave a light shrug. "Eh, who cares? It was a good match anyway. You've got what it takes to go far, so good luck with the rest of your challenge Angelina!" Sidney turned and left the field while Angelina joined back up with her friends and was greeted with loud congrats or praises.

**§To Be Continued§**

Okay, Angelina and friends arrive in Evergrande City and Angelina battles Sidney of the Elite Four! Hope you don't think this story is coming to an end with the elite battles, not with the other ideas I've got brewing. Thanks for reading. I'll be back again!


	51. Fighting Phoebe's Ghosts

Thanks for the reviews, you're awesome! Here's the next chapter! Don't own Pokemon except my own characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 51: Fighting Phoebe's Ghosts **

"I hope this is okay," Angelina said, pulling on a blue-jean pleited miniskirt.

"Of course, its cute!" Dani exclaimed while feeding her Pichu a bottle of milk.

Angelina stared at her friend with a raised eyebrow, confused. "You sure I don't look like a hooker or too revealing?" She looked back into the mirror, her reflection showed the jean skirt, a lilac-colored tank top, blackboard knee-high boots, silver hoop earrings, her Crystal Bell, her silver PokeBelt, and black fingerless grip-gloves.

"No way, just want you to look nice on TV," Dani replied, smiling. "We have fifteen minutes to get to the stadium. Let's go!"

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**Walking down this endless highway**_  
_**With nothing but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced battle is the ultimate test  
**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky  
We can never win, but we sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They'll come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

Angelina walked back to the stadium's entrance, showed her registration to the guard and was allowed access. Considering that she arrived about three minutes before her starting time, her opponent was already there. A young woman with deep tanned skin with short spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a blue tube top, a blue cloth with white Pokeball designs printed on it that was tied around her waist and fell just above her ankles, covering the blue bottom part of her bikini, and two giant pink tropical flowers that rested upon the top of her ears.

"Welcome to the second day of the Hoenn League, folks! Our 2 o'clock battle today is our returning challenger, Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town, against Elite 4 member, Phoebe!" A cheer rose up from the crowd, only Angelina wasn't sure if it was for her or Phoebe. "Angelina and Phoebe's battle will be like the others: three-on-three with no time limit! Let the battle begin!"

"I'd like to see what skills you have, Angelina, there's just something special about you...." Phoebe said while taking a pokeball in hand to release her first pokemon. "Dusclops, go!" Phoebe's Dusclops, a one-eyed ghost pokemon that somewhat resembled a mummy, quickly emerged from its pokeball.

"All right, I'm ready when you are." Angelina grinned, realizing that it was she who had the type advantage in this battle. And she definitely planned to use it to the extreme. "Go, Shadow!" she called, releasing the Disaster Pokemon, Absol onto the battlefield.

Phoebe paled a bit, but proceeded to attack first with a Shadow Ball attack.

"Dodge it, Shadow, and use Crunch attack!" Angelina commanded and the Ghost-type Pokemon wasn't fast enough to dodge the move. Shadow sank his teeth into him and Dusclops shuddered in pain.

"While he's up close, Dusclops, use your Shadow Ball!" Phoebe demanded.

Shadow took the damage and fell back a few steps. Angelina bit her lip. "Okay, Shadow, let's use a Faint Attack!" her dark-type disappeared and Dusclops looked around wildly with it's one eye. Suddenly, it appeared as if the ghost type was being beat up by, well, a ghost, as an unseen force began to attack Phoebe's Pokemon. The Dusclops was left badly wounded, but not knocked out yet.

"Use your Earthquake!" Phoebe yelled.

"What?!" Angelina cried. The ground began to tremor violently and Shadow was knocked off his feet. "That's it," she muttered under her breath. "Shadow, use your Aerial Ace!" Before Dusclops had a chance to dodge it, Shadow struck the cyclops-Pokemon quickly and left it laying on the ground not moving at all.

"Dusclops is unable to battle," called out the referee. "Absol is the winner!"

"Dusclops!" exclaimed Phoebe as she raced to her Pokemon's side. Then recalled it to its Pokeball and thanked it for a great job. She enlarged her next Pokemon onto the battlefield. "Let's go, Sableye!" she exclaimed.

In a flash of white light stood Sableye, a Ghost/Dark Element that had purple skin, spiked ear-like appendages on the sides of its prism-shaped head, a ruby embedded in its chest, miscellaneous jewels that glowed on its back, and haunting aquamarine colored jeweled eyes.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"This isn't good," Jeremy muttered. "This isn't good at all."

"What isn't good?" Dani questioned.

"That Sableye has no weaknesses, because it's part Dark and part Ghost. If Angel loses to Phoebe, she'll be impossible to be around for the next month or so."

"She won't lose," Seamus said confidently.

"How do you know?" Amber asked, joining in the conversation.

"She won't let herself. She's way too stubborn."

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Oh crud!" Angelina muttered.

Shadow had successfully dodged Sableye's last few attacks, but the Disaster Pokemon was growing tired and couldn't fend off Sableye for much longer.

The arena was growing quiet, in anticipation and could practically feel the tension in the air. Shadow looked weary as he realized that Sableye was probably getting ready to attack again. The diamond eyes of his opponent were glittering in the joy that he was more likely than not going to beat Shadow.

Angelina was already planning her next moves though. "Shadow, use your Crunch attack!" she called in one last hope.

"Dodge it!" Phoebe cried, and the Sableye, still in nearly full health, darted away from Angelina's Absol. "Now use Aerial Ace!" she commanded as Sableye disappeared and suddenly reappeared behind Shadow and slammed its attack into the dark-type Pokemon's back.

"Shadow!" Angelina exclaimed, watching her Pokemon crash to the ground.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Ooh, this isn't going that well," Amber agonized. "That Sableye is tough."

"Exactly how it was a couple years back when I battled the first time around." Dani said.

"It took two of my Pokemon to take it out, but if Angel loses-"

"We'll never hear the end of it," Jeremy finished. "I'm confident in her talent, though."

"She better win," grumbled Amber as she turned back to the match.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"My goodness," Phoebe gasped as she looked worriedly at her Sableye.

"Think you just got a taste of your own medicine," Angelina smirked.

"How? I didn't use Earthquake on your Golem repeatedly."

"I know, but your Dusclops used Earthquake on my Absol, so my Golem will use Earthquake on your Sableye," Angelina told her logically.

Phoebe sighed. "Sableye, use Shadow Punch on that Golem!" she said exasperatedly.

"Rocky, try to dodge it!" Angelina called.

Sableye's hand glowed gray and formed into a fist and pounded down on Angelina's Golem's back and the Rock/Ground Pokemon cried out in pain.

"Use your Magnitude attack, Rocky!" Angelina commanded with a broad smile. At a close range, the powerful ground attack threw Sableye off it's feet and crashed into the ground unconscious.

"Sableye is unable to battle!" called out the referee. "Golem is the winner!"

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Boo!" called the man in front of them, and Seamus jumped to his feet to reprimand the man.

But Jeremy got there first. "That's my girlfriend fighting, you $#$#!" he yelled.

"Language, Jer," Dani hissed, motioning toward Christina whom was nearby.

"Yeah, and I thought you two were just friends," Amber said curiously.

"Just that, but it seems like its more," Jeremy said with a slight blush. "But I can defend her."

"That's nice and all," said the bald man who was in his late thirties or early forties. "But this girl sucks ass anyways."

"Don't do anything that's going to get you kicked out," Amber warned, who was paying attention to the brewing fight.

"Why not? Those are the things that make life fun!" Seamus said with a eager smile playing upon his face.

"Exactly," said Jeremy with a grin as he took out the piece of Orbit chewing gun from his mouth and inched carefully towards the back of the man's muscle shirt.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"This sucks," Angelina groaned as Banette smirked wickedly at Rocky, whom was laying on his back on the pebbled floor.

"Use Psychic, Banette!" Phoebe called out.

"Damn it, no! Dodge it!" Angelina screamed, completely forgetting that she was being taped by television cameras. She watched her Pokemon in the grip of the psychic-attack and fainted.

"Golem is unable to battle," called out the referee. "Banette is the winner!"

"Thank you, Rocky. You did great!" Angelina said, recalling the Golem to its Pokeball and tried to think of who to bring out next. She felt over Rocky's and Shadow's Pokeballs, the two were resting peacefully. Her choices were narrowed down to Chocolate, Feather, Charcoal, and Spritz.

Confidently, Angelina enlarged one of the Pokeballs and tossed it out, "Let's go, Charcoal!" she cheered as the fire-dragon Pokemon Charizard was released.

"Banette, attack Charizard with a Shadow Ball!" Banette held its arms out towards Raikou began to form a black ball of shadowstuff. Once the attack was fully formed, Banette flung the ball towards Charcoal.

"Charcoal, dodge it and use Heat Wave!" Charcoal swiftly dodged to the side of Banette's attack and charged towards the ghost pokemon at a breakneck pace. Charcoal then opened its mouth and released a powerful wave of intense heat that slammed into Banette as it closed in.

"Use Shock Wave!" Phoebe yelled.

"Dodge it!" Angelina cried, but Charcoal was unable to as the attack of sparking waves form a cloud and many lightning bolts came pouring down and caused a critical hit."Charcoal!" she exclaimed, knowing that electric attacks were a flying-types weakness, but knew it was time for her last resort. "Overheat!" she said weakly as she watched Charcoal opened its mouth, releasing a powerful blinding streak of red, orange, and yellow light tied together by white rings of fiery light toward Banette.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"It's hot!" Christina whined, but Jeremy, Amber, Dani, and Seamus were intently watching the match.

"This is it," Seamus muttered as their eyes were widened as the smoke began to thin out from around the battlefield.

"I hope this isn't it for Charizard," Amber said worriedly.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"This is amazing!" called the announcer. "Phoebe's Banette was knocked out by Angelina's Charizard's powerful Overheat attack. Angelina Murakami is the winner!"

"Looks like I lost too...but I guess that was to be expected." Phoebe said to Angelina after recalling her Banette. "There is definitely a strong bond between you and your pokemon. I think you'll definitely walk away from Evergrande City as a champion, Angelina..." With the battle over, Phoebe turned and left the battlefield while Angelina joined back up with her friends once more.

**§To Be Continued§**

Phoebe's outfit looks tropical, I like it, but I could've done better with the battle if I had more ideas for it (stupid writer's block). Thanks for reading! Next chapter is on the way!


	52. Striking Glacia

**Chapter 52: Striking Glacia**

"Well ladies and gentlemen, we have seen a tremendous battle between Elite Four member Glacia and challenger Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town! Both trainers are down to their last Pokemon! Will Glacia knock this trainer back to the beginning, or will Angelina be victorious as in her previous battle?"

Glacia, the Elite Four member of Ice Pokemon was a woman in her forties or fifties with pale blond hair curled in a twentieth century style, pale peach toned skin, and icy blue eyes. She wore a rich purple dress with long white sleeves, a white collar around the top of her dress, a gold belt tied around her waist, and tan slip-on shoes. She stood on her side of the battlefield behind Walrein, the final evolution of Spheal.

Angelina stood in the challenger's box; she had taken down Glacia's Glalie and Dewgong with her Charizard and Milotic. She was now deciding what Pokemon to use next, and decided she needed to use a type advantage to win as she took out a rhinestone-studded Pokeball and threw it. "Let's go, Chocolate!"

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**Walking down this endless highway  
With nothing but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced battle is the ultimate test  
From the earth of land, the sea, and sky  
We can never win, but we sure can try **_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They'll come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

"She looks worried," Amber commented.

"Probably that female lack of confidence again," Seamus noted.

"More than likely. Or a self-esteem drop."

"You sound like Doctor Phil," Dani laughed.

Jeremy sighed. "Women these days..."

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Walrein, use Water Gun!"

"Chocolate, use Thunder!"

Walrein opened its mouth and unleashed another powerful surge of water toward Chocolate, while the electric mouse sent out a massive blast of electricity. The attacks hit, only for the electrical attack to course through the water and caused a massive blow to Walrein.

"This isn't over!" Glacia called out, then shouted, "Walrein, Take Down!"

Walrein began rushing towards Chocolate.

"Don't move," Angelina whispered between clenched teeth. Then came the time when Walrein was merely about ten feet away and still coming strong. "Okay, while it's close up, use your Thunder!" she commanded.

Chocolate sent out another powerful blast of electrical light that came down on Walrein; the attack came so fast that Walrein had no time to dodge and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"Walrein is unable to battle," called out the referee, "Pikachu is the winner! The victory of this battle goes Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town!"

"Yes!" Angelina exclaimed. "We did it, Chocolate!"

"Pika, pikachu!" Chocolate hopped into her trainer's arms, squeaking happily.

A loud-and large- cheer rose up from the crowd, mostly from Angelina's friends.

"Your Pokemon are truly powerful, Angelina, and perfect for combatting my own icy pokemon...." Glacia said to Angelina, then chuckled to herself. "Of course, you already knew that I'm sure. Your strong bond and fiery spirit easily overcame my techniques. Congratulations and good luck in your upcoming battles."

**§To Be Continued§**

Sorry if this one is short, I got another writer's block, but the next chapter will be better. Thanks for reading! I'll be back again! Reviews welcomed!


	53. Dueling Drake

Thanks for the review! Hope you had a wonderful Easter! Well here's the next chapter. I don't own Pokemon except my characters. Enjoy!

Chapter 53: Dueling Drake

Angelina walked out into the living room of the cabin and Seamus and Dani blinked.

"Angel, we thought you were gone already!" Dani exclaimed.

"Why, what time is it?" Angelina yawned, still drowsy.

"2:35," Seamus answered. "Did you just wake up?"

With a notice of the time, Angelina seemed to feel a lot more awake. "Oh crud! I have to leave in ten minutes! My battle is at three!"

Angelina rushed back into her room, noticing that there had already been another outfit laid out for her. Luckily it was her original journey outfit, she pulled it on and by the time she was ready, it was time to leave. She walked to the arena, ready to battle.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**Walking down this endless highway  
With nothing but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced battle is the ultimate test**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky  
We can never win, but we sure can try **_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They'll come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

Angelina walked in through the entrance and saw her opponent standing on the other side of the battlefield. There was an elderly man dressed in a sea captain's attire of a white captain's hat with a black patch housing a golden Pokeball emblem upon the hat's rim, a long black and gold outlined jacket that bared another Pokeball emblem, being of a faded gold, upon the ripped and tattered jacket over his bare chest, and a pair of blue pants that had black boots. His facial features included a white beard that pressed down upon his upper lip and grew out to a jagged, upside U shape, and hardened black eyes upon a rogue face.

"Welcome back to another day of battles in the Hoenn League! Will Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town be able to defeat Drake and be the only Hoenn League challenger to battle the Champion? We will find out today in our 3 o'clock match! This battle will be three-on-three with no time limit. Let the battle begin!"

"Pallet Town, eh? Then you know Ash Ketchum?" Drake asked.

"Yes, sir. He's my brother," Angelina replied. "We're both traveling the Hoenn Region to compete in the League Championships."

"So I've been told," Drake said. "Ash put up quite a fight, but he's got a lot more to learn before he can battle me again. You on the other hand must be quite the trainer to beat three Elite Four, and unless you know what it truely takes to be a great Pokemon trainer,you will not be able to overcome the power of my dragon pokemon...." he enlarged a Pokeball from his black belt and threw it out.

In a flash of white light appeared a dragon-like Pokemon with a light green body and wings, green antennae on its head, black eyes surrounded in red, glass-like domes, red outlines along the wings, small claws, green patches on its light green legs, and a long green and light green designed tail with a light green and red-lined fan at the tip.

Angelina took out her rhinestone-studded Pokeball and tossed it out. Her Pikachu appeared on the battlefield. "Okay Chocolate, use Thunder!"

_**(S)12345(S)**_

It was Seamus who was using the binoculars at the time. "Why is she using an electric type against a _**FLYGON**_?" he asked incredulously.

"Because it's flying, and she thinks that the electric type moves will bring out the flying weakness," Dani replied.

"That _**WOULD**_ be a very smart plan," Amber commented. "If Flygon wasn't part ground."

"I hope she knows what she's doing," Jeremy said tensely.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Earthquake?!" Angelina screamed as Chocolate was knocked abruptly off her feet. "How can a flying type use _**EARTHQUAKE**_?!"

"It can when it's part ground," Drake said simply and Angelina must've looked like a traffic light: red with embarrassment to green with nausea, all in the matter of a few minutes.

"Ugh," Angelina complained, recalling her Pokemon. Chocolate was now extremely weak. She hadn't meant to use a type disadvantage, and now because she was so stupid, it could cost her the match. She closed her eyes and thought. _**'Ground, eh? I'll show you ground.'**_

"Let's go, Spritz!" Angelina called out, releasing her aqua-rabbit Pokemon she had raised since her very first Pokemon journey. "Use your Ice Beam!"

"Dodge it!" Drake cried, and Angelina felt unbelievably frustrated when the flying Pokemon dove out of the way of the baby-blue ice light.

"Damn it!" Angelina cursed out loud. "Use it again!" she crossed my fingers and bit her lip, watching the ice-attack strike Flygon, causing the dragon to shriek in pain and crash to the ground.

"Flygon is unable to battle," called out the referee. "Azumarill is the winner!"

"We gave it our best..." Drake stated quietly as he recalled Flygon. "Altaria, continue where Flygon left off!" he called out as he held up another pokeball and threw it. The white light materialized a beautiful sky blue bird with blue streams that flowed from his head and had white on its cheeks and long, cloud-like wings. "Use your Hyper Beam!" he commanded and the elegant Pokemon opened its mouth as a a goldish-white sphere formed.

"Avoid with Defense Curl!" Angelina yelled. Only the thing was, Spritz couldn't dodge fast enough and was blown back by the powerful beam.

Spritz hadn't been knocked out, but was pretty close to that status. Altaria couldn't attack for the next turn; it was a side-effect of using such a powerful attack.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"She's never battled an Altaria before, has she?" Seamus questioned worriedly, handing the binoculars to Jeremy.

Jeremy grimaced. "No, I know Winona has an Altaria, but never used it in battle against Angelina. Lucky though."

"Do you think she can win?" Seamus asked, glancing at the battlefield, where Spritz had just successfully hit Altaria with another Ice Beam.

"I have no doubts," Jeremy lied, as Altaria recoiled with a Dragonbreath attack.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Spritz was knocked out, due to the dragon type attack that had been bestowed on her moments before. Angelina thought this wasn't good. Was it possible that she would lose this battle, and the League? She glanced up at the stands, where Jeremy was looking worriedly and passing the binoculars back to her rival.

Jeremy was her best friend. And he _**HAD**_ stuck by Angelina throughout all her journeys. She had to win it. For him. He just couldn't know it was for him. With a broad grin, Angelina recalled Spritz and instantly grabbed another Pokeball that was pink. This was the Pokemon who would do it. She had 100 confidence in her.

"Come on out, Gardevoir!" Angelina called, revealing an elegant Psychic Pokemon that belonged to her step-mother; it had a white and green body that flowed like a dress, a red appendage on its chest and green hair that covered one of its red eyes.

Then suddenly, Angelina heard a negative yell from the stands. It was from the group's direction. She glanced up, only to find it was the man in front of them. He was turned around though, and from what she could see, he was arguing with Jeremy.

"Okay, let's try Metronome!" Angelina suggested. Gardevoir glowed and released a Thunderbolt attack, and it was enough to knock out Altaria.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Listen you little , you better shut up about my friend!" Jeremy threatened

with a scowl on his face. It was the same man as it had been a few days before.

"And what are you going to do if I don't? Stick gum down my shirt again?" the man smirked.

"I'll do a lot worse than that," Jeremy said darkly.

"Nothing can be worse than having to watch your slutty girlfriend battle in boots and a miniskirt. I have to hand it to you; she's hott, even though she's a crappy ass trainer. Wouldn't mind getting her in-"

In his rage, Jeremy had picked up his soft drink and with that remark, he dumped it over the guy's head. He was a bright red color, and none of the group had ever seen him so mad. "If you ever say anything like that about Angelina again, I will-"

"Don't even say anything," Dani warned. "You'll get yourself into trouble."

With a few murmurs and grunts, the guy stood up from his seat, glaring daggers at Jeremy as he left to get a change of clothes.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Angelina was on her last Pokemon, so was Drake, and it was so unpredictable. Neither

one of them were at a type advantage.

"Shelgon, use your Dragonbreath attack!" Drake said yet again and Angelina sighed.

"Gardevoir, Teleport to dodge it and then use Future Sight!" Angelina shot back.

Gardevoir disappeared from the area that Altaria fired off the green flames. She hardly had time to use the Future Sight attack before another blast of green fire was aimed at her. Instinctly, she teleported away, and that is what the next ten minutes consisted of: Shelgon trying to hit Gardevoir and the psychic Pokemon teleported away.

But shortly after yet another Dragonbreath had been used, Shelgon began to glow a lucid white color and wince in pain. So the Future Sight was working! Angelina bit my lip and crossed her fingers again. She hoped this worked. Although it did do a considerate amount of damage to Shelgon, but it didn't faint it, like Angelina had wanted it to. While it was weak, and getting over the attack, Angelina had a chance. It could have been her only chance.

"Quick, while it's recovering, use Psychic, Gardevoir!" Angelina yelled frantically.

Gardevoir took aim and focused. Then a flurry of purple psychic energy burst out and surrounded Shelgon. The Dragon Pokemon winced at the telekinetic attack and was slammed into the field.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Is it moving?" Amber asked Jeremy worriedly.

Jeremy grabbed the binoculars from Seamus and looked through them eagerly. "No! It's fainted!"

"Then this means-" Christina started.

"That Angel won!" Dani exclaimed. "And that tomorrow she'll be battling to become the Hoenn League champion! Tomorrow is going to change everything!"

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Well congratulations, Angelina, you have managed to defeat me." Drake said to her. "However.... having come this far, do you realize yet what it takes to become a pokemon champion?"

"Of course! I've known all along!" Angelina replied confidently. "It takes a strong bond between trainer to become the champion!"

"Good enough answer...." Drake chuckled to himself and pulled his hat down slightly. "Yes, what a trainer needs is a strong and virtuous heart. Angelina, I believe you have what it takes to go far. Even the Elite Four prove to be little challenge to you now. I am finished here. You have but one more battle ahead..." Drake turned around sharply, tossing his coat behind him and walking away from the battlefield.

Angelina smiled for she only had one more battle, and that was to defeat the current Champion, Wallace.

**§To Be Continued§**

Angelina uses one of the six Pokemon that belonged to her step-mother; I changed it from Flygon to Gardevoir. Thanks for reading, next chapter is on the way!


	54. The Battle For Champion

Thanks for the reviews (new and usual)! Sorry to say, but Steven is not the Champion. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I don't own Pokemon except my own characters. Enjoy!

**Chapter 57: The New Champion**

Angelina had been up for three and a half hours already. It was quite unusual for her to wake up at nine-thirty in the morning, but she had also laid in bed until noon, thinking. It was now twelve-thirty, and her battle had been moved up to two o'clock. Her _**FINAL**_ battle. And if she won, then she was officially the new Hoenn League Champion.

Angelina gazed outside the window, and the rain was falling pretty hard. The minutes ticked by, and soon they became thirty minutes, and then an hour. It was one-thirty; she had to leave in fifteen minutes. So she got out of bed and changed into her usual outfit, then after brushing her hair and applying make-up, she was ready to leave.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**Walking down this endless highway  
With nothing but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced battle is the ultimate test  
From the earth of land, the sea, and sky  
We can never win, but we sure can try **_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They'll come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon, Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

The whole stadium seemed to burst into either cheer or dismay when Angelina entered the arena. She scanned the crowds for her friends and found their usual section; Dani, Seamus, Jeremy, Amber, and Christina waved to her.... even Marcus and April were with them! She waved them all, and she noticed the absence of the man that usually sat in front of them, but she didn't care since he wasn't important.

"Welcome to the final Hoenn League battle of Hoenn's current Champion Wallace and challenger Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town! Each challenger will be allowed to use four Pokemon with no time limit! Whoever is the victor of this match will be the new Hoenn League Champion. Let the battle begin!"

On the other side of the battlefield stood Wallace, smiling gently and ceasing his applauding. "Miss Angelina, congratulations on your victory over Hoenn's Elite Four. This won't be an easy victory as I stand before you as your final oponent."

"Well I didn't come this far to lose!" Angelina declared with a grin. "I'm planning to walk away as champion!"

"Let's see what fate has to decide," Wallace grabbed a Pokeball off his belt and tossed it into a pool of water on the field. "You're up, Whiscash!"

A blue and orange catfish-like pokemon with whiskers emerged onto the field, wading in the water. "Whis-cash!"

"Let's go, Forest!" Angelina said, tossing out a Pokeball that revealed her Ivysaur.

"Saur, Ivysaur!" the plant Pokemon growled.

"Whiscash, begin with Mud Shot!" Wallace ordered.

Whiscash shot a stream of mud from his mouth.

"Cut it down with Razor Leaf!" Angelina ordered.

"Saur," Forest said before firing off razor sharp leaves at the Mud Shot.

The leaves cut up most of the mud, but some of it made contact with Forest. Unfortunately, it was now in his eyes and now he couldn't see. He turned around wildly.

"Oh no, Ivysaur's blind!" Dani said.

"Use Water Gun while it's disoriented!" Wallace said.

Whiscash shot the stream of water at Forest. Forest couldn't see the attack coming at him.

"Forest, do an about face. Let the Water Gun wash the mud out of your eyes," Angelina instructed.

Forest turned around. The Water Gun came straight at the Ivysaur's face. The force of the Water Gun knocked him into the water. He surfaced and got back onto the platform. He turned towards Angelina, showing her that the mud had been washed out.

"All right! Ivysaur can see again!" Christina cheered.

"That was a great observation on Angel's part," Jeremy said, relieved.

"Belly Flop to create a wave!" Wallace commanded.

"Use Vine Whip to jump over it!" Angelina countered.

Forest used his vines as a springboard to catapult over the oncoming wave. Then he landed back onto the field.

"Finish with Solarbeam!" Angelina ordered, her Pokemon started collecting solar energy in the flower on his back, making it glow a hot white.

"Quick Whiscash, use Hydro Pump before it completely charges up!" Wallace said.

Whiscash opened its mouth and unleashed a massive surge of water. Forest used his Vine Whip to jump over the attack. He came down, ready to launch the Solarbeam.

"Fire away, Forest!" Angelina said.

"Ivy-SAAAAAAURRRRRRRRR!" Forest fired off the white-hot beam and engulfing Whiscash as it fell back into the water with a gigantic splash and slowly surfaced unconscious.

"Whiscash is unable to battle. Ivysaur is the winner!" the referee called out.

"Whiscash return!" Wallace said, recalling his Pokemon back to its Pokeball. "I must say, Angelina, you're very intelligent to have your Ivysaur face a Water Gun head-on and then use Vine Whip to jump over the Hydro Pump. You're a pretty good trainer," he added.

"Thank you, Wallace," Angelina said.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Do you suppose she'll win?" Christina asked.

"There's no way to tell," Seamus said simply, eyes glued to the match.

"She's already got one knocked out out of four. I have faith in her," Jeremy said with a simple grin.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Wallace pulled out another Pokeball and tossed it out, "My next Pokemon shall be.... Tentacruel! Go!" the white light revealed a seven-foot tall jelly-fish Pokemon with a sharp beak. It was released onto the ground instead of in the water, lifting itself on its tentactles, using them like legs.

"Okay Forest, return!" Angelina called back her Ivysaur, then switched Pokeballs. "Let's go, Munchy!" she brought out her enormously plump and shiny Snorlax.

"Tentacruel, begin with a Toxic attack!" Tentacruel thrust its body forward while opening its beak, spraying out a purple glob of poison at Crawdaunt.

"Munchy, block it with Protect!" Snorlax quickly raised its arm defensively, forming a blue barrier around itself. The poisonous substance splattered onto the barrier and then dropped onto the ground. "Okay, Mega Punch!"

Snorlax obediently ran forward, its right fist covered in energy.

"Tentacruel, use Barrier!"

Tentacruel's body was immediately surrounded by a thick, glowing shield. Snorlax slammed its fist into the shield but it had no effect. Tentacruel lowered the shield, grabbed Snorlax's arms with its tentacles and threw it to the ground. Snorlax broke free and rolled to the side just as a stream of Acid shot from Tentacruel's mouth. Some of it got on Snorlax, burning its skin, Snorlax grumbled angrily as it got up.

"Now use Hyper Beam!"

Snorlax nodded and turned to face Tentacruel, preparing to fire its most powerful attack at only a few feet away.

"Tentacruel, weaken the attack with Barrier!"

Tentacruel quickly formed a blue barrier around its body in an effort to block the attack, just barely getting it up before Snorlax fired off its Hyper Beam. Tentacruel was swept up by the beam, but held firm to its position by latching its tentacles to the ground. Courtesy of the barrier, Tentacruel was able to get back up again after enduring the attack. It was a bit shaky on its tentacles from the punishment it had endured, however.

"Tentacruel, attack with Sludge Bomb while Snorlax is resting."

Tentacruel opened its mouth and raised its head back while building up the poison inside its body. Tentacruel then lurched forward and spat out a ball of sludge. The sludge hit Snorlax head on while it was resting to regain energy from using Hyper Beam, then exploded and splattered all over its body. The sludge burned Crawdaunt briefly before falling to the ground.

"Munchy, you got to try to get up!" Angelina pleaded.

Snorlax stood up a bit shakily, assumed a battle stance and prepared to continue the fight.

Angelina smiled, "Okay Munchy, use Harden!" she commanded as Snorlax in turn began to glow and its skin became as tough as steel.

Tentacruel fired another Toxic but was deflected once more by Snorlax's Protect.

"Good job Munchy, now lets shake things up, Earthquake!"

Snorlax leaped in the air and slammed its feet into the ground. A wave of seismic energy was sent straight at Tentacruel, ripping apart the ground in front of it. Tentacruel struggled to maintain its footing as the ground shook and fell apart beneath its tentacles.

Before Wallace could react, Angelina had already commanded another attack. "Finish it, Body Slam!"

Snorlax leaped even higher this time, slamming its heavy body into Tentacruel. After a moment Snorlax got up, a happy smile of triumph on his face and stood over the now crushed Tentacruel, its "ruby of the sea" cracked in several places.

"Tentacruel is unable to battle," called the referee. "Snorlax is the winner!"

"Thanks, Munchy!" Angelina waved to the Pokemon, whom turned and gave a thumbs up.

"Well played...." Wallace commented, recalling his Tentacruel and took out another pokeball to release his next pokemon.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"She's doing extremely well," Marcus commented.

"You should've been here yesterday when she sent out Chocolate on a Flygon!" Christina giggled.

"She didn't have a clue it was a ground type," Amber added. "Even Drew couldn't believe it and he's got one!"

Seamus, who's eyes were glued to the battle, gasped. "Oh no!" he yelled. The rest of the group turned to the match.

"It's Gyrados!" Dani squeaked. "And it's super strong, too! Trust me, I know since I had to battle it."

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Munchy, one more attack! Hyper Beam!"

"Gyarados, counter with Hyper Beam!"

Snorlax and Gyarados both opened their mouths, each pokemon bringing their respective methods of attack to bear. They both fired out a blast of energy at each other, their attacks coliding half-way. Snorlax's more powerful Hyper Beam easily pushed back against Gyarados', but not without some of the energy being expended as it blasted through.

Snorlax's weakened Hyper Beam eventually blasted Gyarados in the face, sending it stumbling backwards and collapsing into the pool. Snorlax collapsed soon after as the poison from Tentacruel finally brought it down. Gyarados slowly rose back up from the pool, but Snorlax was down for the count.

"Forest, you can take this one! Go!" Angelina released her Ivysaur from its pokeball, sending it out near Gyarados to take advantage of it. Gyarados still had to rest from using Hyper Beam. "Use your Razor Leaf!"

Forest shot dozens of spinning razor edged leaves. Gyarados growled as most of the attack bounced off its stronger then steel scales, a few leaves managing to nick it.

"Solar Beam!" Angelina yelled.

Energy from the sun began to be drawn into the flower on Ivysaur's back, the center of it glowing brighter and brighter as more energy built up.

"Gyarados, end this with Hyper Beam now!" Wallace ordered.

An orb of pulsing energy appeared in Gyarados mouth, doubling then tripling in size.

"Avoid it with your Vine Whip!" Angelina called.

Forest nodded. While still charging Solar Beam it brought out four vines, two on each side of its body, and sunk them into the ground much like it would do to divert energy from an electric attack harmlessly into the earth. Then just as Gyarados fired the powerful beam, Forest rose up on the strong vines, using them like stilts and then while balancing briefly on its right sides vines, brought the left side ones off the ground, completely avoiding the attack.

Wallace and Gyarados stood in shock as Forest landed, the Solar Beam fully charged.

"Ivy-SAAAAAAAURRRRR!" Forest yelled as the beam rocketed from his back. Gyarados roared in pain and anger as the attack struck, its scales proving no defense against the intense beam of solar energy and fell unconscious to the ground and Wallace recalling the Pokemon.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Lina beat another pokemon! She's going to win now!" Christina cheered happily.

"Although she's caught up in terms of pokemon, even a water attack will likely finish her Ivysaur at this point." Jeremy corrected Angela. "That will leave her with only two pokemon against one. For her sake, I hope she hangs on with her only grass type."

"She's been winning with her Ivysaur already though, you saying it wouldn't work now?" Dani asked curiously.

"Angelina probably had a feeling that her grass type wouldn't hold up because Wallace was using his pokemon that were best capable of dealing with them." Jeremy replied knowingly. "The final pokemon he's been holding back, is better for dealing with electric pokemon. I have a feeling Angel's last pokemon is an electric type, but I hope it isn't. Otherwise this battle may be over now...."

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"It has come to this then," Wallace took a pokeball from his belt and held it up for everyone to see. "My final Pokemon against your remaining two Pokemon. As my old teacher once taught me, one should save the greatest performance for last!" Wallace pressed the button on the pokeball, opening it and releasing a red pulse towards the pool. The pulse took the form of a beautiful, serpentine water pokemon.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Woah, now that's a Milotic!" Seamus gasped as everyone stared at the Pokemon. "And if I'm not mistaking, Juan used a Milotic last and was also Wallace's trainer!"

_**"But if my deduction is correct, maybe Ivysaur can win it all for Angelina yet with its Solar Beam attack."**_ Jeremy thought to himself. Christina kept quiet this time, not sure how the battle would go after Jeremy's previous comments.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

_"No way.... a Milotic!"_ Angelina gasped, realizing just who Wallace's teacher was. _"Juan trains water pokemon, and he also used a Milotic last. Juan must have been Wallace's trainer!"_

"Milotic, we shall play it safe to start! Remove Ivysaur's advantage with Rain Dance!"

"Forest, use Solar Beam again before the weather changes!" Ivysaur quickly absorbed sunlight as Wallace's Milotic danced around in the water, managing to gather enough sunlight to attack just before dark clouds covered over the sun. Ivysaur fired another beam of white light, striking Milotic hard and knocking it back into the ground. Milotic took the attack much better than Whiscash did, however, and immediately got back up and was ready for more.

_"I know its not as weak to grass attacks as Whiscash was...."_ Angelina thought to herself, staring at Milotic in shock. _"But it should have left more of a mark than that! Milotics really are durable pokemon thats for sure...."_

"Now, Milotic, finish this with Twister!" Milotic began concentrating, and soon after a swirling vortex rose up around Ivysaur and concealed it from view. Inside the vortex, the energy of the twister ripped at Ivysaur. Ivysaur was quickly knocked out, and the Twister lifted as Ivysaur fell to the ground unconcious. Angelina was hardly surprised that the attack knocked Ivysuar out and recalled her pokemon.

"Alright then, lets see what else this Milotic can do...." Angelina quickly took out an Ultra Ball from her belt and held it up to release her pokemon. "Draco, let's go!" the orange dragon-like pokemon Dragonite emerged from the Ultra Ball, materializing on the battlefield before Angelina and a good distance from Milotic.

"Draco, use Dragon Claw and give it everything you've got!" Dragonite flapped its wings and took off flying towards Milotic. Milotic made a vain attempt to escape, but it was moving far too slowly due to paralysis. Dragonite reached out with its claws as it flew over Milotic and raked across the top of its head. Milotic dropped down slightly and winced as Draco's claws struck it.

"Milotic, bring Dragonite down with Ice Beam!" Milotic looked up at the retreating Salamence and fired out a blue beam. The beam quickly struck Dragonite from behind and formed a thin coat of ice on the back of Dragonite's body. Draco cried out in pain and was sent crashing into the ground, shattering the ice on impact. For a moment, it looked like Dragonite was out cold already, but it slowly began to rise back onto its feet. It still had a bit of fight left in it.

"Now, finish this with another Ice Beam!"

"Draco, use Protect then fly up!"

Dragonite quickly formed a barrier around itself, blocking another Ice Beam attack from Milotic. Ice formed on the barrier, but fell to the ground and shattered when Dragonite dismissed it to fly straight up into the air. It was slow to take off, though, as it was still recovering from the previous Ice Beam.

"Milotic, using Twister should end this now!" Milotic focused and, through a draconic power, formed a violet twister around Dragonite. The twister pulled Draco out of the sky and sent it crashing to the ground, this time knocking it out for good. Angelina hesitated for a moment out of shock before recalling her Dragonite.

_"It knows Ice Beam.... the only pokemon I have left is.... Chocolate...."_ Angelina felt her confidence starting to drain away. One wrong move and her Pikachu would be taken out by an Ice Beam from Milotic, and she didn't have any pokemon left to fight Wallace's pokemon. _"But.... we're each down to our final pokemon, and the battle isn't over till one of them falls! There's no way I'm giving up that easily!" _she shakes her head, gritting her teeth in determination and takes a rhine-stoned pokeball from her belt. She held up the device and pressed the button to release her final pokemon. "Chocolate, I choose you!" The pokeball opened up and released the electric mouse pokemon Pikachu onto the battlefield.

"You had an electric pokemon in reserve," Wallace said to Angelina with a slight smile. "Interesting, but I will do my best to put up a strong offensive against your Pikachu!"

"Well I don't plan to hold back either! Chocolate and I are going to hit you with everything we've got!" Angelina called back while her Pikachu nodded her head in agreement.

"Very well, dear Angelina. Let the battle commance!" With a wide gesture of his arm, Wallace prepared to make the first move. "Milotic, begin with Toxic!" Milotic reared her head back, then lunged forward to spit out a purple blob of poison at Chocolate.

"Chocolate, quick! Dodge it with a Quick Attack!" In a flash of movement, Chocolate bolted off to the side and easily evaded Milotic's Toxic attack.

_"Ok, this is his last pokemon. I don't want to take any unecessary risks, having come this far."_ Angelina thought, carefully planning out her first attack against Milotic. "Chocolate, paralyze Milotic with Thunder Wave!" the Pikachu charged up electricity in her body then fired it a static pulse at Milotic. The static electricity went through Milotic's body without causing any harm to it, but the attack instantly inflicted it with paralysis.

"Now follow it up with Thunderbolt!" Chocolate quickly gathered electricity in her body again, then fired off a powerful bolt of lightning at Milotic.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"This is it," Amber yelled excitedly.

"Shh!" demanded everyone else, who all were intently watching the battle.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Gyrados is unable to battle! Ivysaur is the winner!" called through the intercom over the cheering of Angelina's friends.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Angelina and her friends couldn't see the smirk on Wallace's face as Chocolate attacked. He had been waiting for this.

"Milotic, bounce it back with Mirror Coat!" A reflective barrier formed around Milotic's body just before Pikachu's attack struck it. The lightning bolt wasn't hindered at all by this, passing through and striking Milotic. Milotic cried out in a melodic tone as the electricity coursed through its body.

Angelina gasped, suddenly realizing what was about to happen next. _**"There's nothing I can do…"**_ she thought as she watched hopelessly, _**"…Chocolate can't escape…could this be…. no….I can't give up! Not now!"**_

"Chocolate," Angelina was about to call out, but then she saw it was too late as Milotic was still under attack when a blast of lightning shot back at Chocolate. The lightning bolt was far stronger than Chocolate's own attack and struck it with twice the power it had against Milotic. Chocolate cried in agony then collapsed on her side; the powered up bolt was more than Chocolate could take. This caused Angelina to run from her trainer box and to run after her fallen Pokemon.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Milotic is the winner! Victory goes to Hoenn's current Elite Champion Wallace!" called through the intercom.

"Oh no! Angelina lost!" Christina cried furiously, everyone else shared epressions of upset and sorrow for their friend.

Dani stood up with tears streaming down her face. "I c-can't believe it.... after all she's done to get this far...." she said, hugging her crying Pichu.

"I know..." Seamus agreed sadly.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

Angelina had fallen to her knees, taking her injured electric Pokemon into her arms. "Chocolate, baby, are you…okay?"

"Piii…" Chocolate mustered weakly, then closed her eyes from exhaustion.

"Oh Chocolate," Angelina said, cradling her Pokemon closer as tears sprung into her eyes. _**"I… I lost, but how was Milotic able to shrug off Chocolate's Thunderbolt?" **_

"Angelina?" came Wallace's voice as he walked towards her after recalling his Milotic. "Its too bad you tried to use Thunder Wave first...." he told her as if he knew what she was thinking. "If you didn't, your Pikachu would have at least scored a decent hit."

_**"So.... because I used Thunder Wave first, it was able to shrug off Chocolate's Thunderbolt?" Angelina thought this over for a moment. "Milotic must have a special ability that raises its defenses when its paralyzed then.... but I guess this loss is okay," **_a smile then forms on her face, _**"and I know I'm not perfect all the time." **_

"My dear, will you be alright?" Wallace asked.

"I'm... fine, yes," Angelina smiled, standing up as she wiped away a tear that began to fall down her face. "Actually, I'm glad because I know my Pokemon battled their hardest and they helped me to win the victories I won today and throughout the others. I'm very proud of them all…" she then took Chocolate's Pokeball and held it to her Pokemon, "…Chocolate, thank you so much for the battle. Return!" a stream of red light shot out from the Pokeball and formed around the electric mouse, zapping it back into the Pokeball in a form of red light.

Angelina then looked over at Wallace, "This battle proves I still have a lot more training to do to get stronger and become a good Pokemon trainer. So thank you."

"You're quite welcome, Angelina." Wallace said, smiling. "I have never battled a trainer such as yourself with grace, power, trust, and love for them and their Pokemon. Even thought you lost today…you will always and forever be a champion in my eyes…" he took her hand into his and pressed a small kiss onto her hand in the manner of a proper gentleman.

"Oh Wallace," Angelina blushed at the comment. "I really don't-"

"Angelina!" somebody yelled behind the girl. She looked back to find Dani, Seamus, Jeremy, Amber, Christina, Marcus, and April. Dani looked she had been crying.

"You'll be okay," Jeremy whispered, embracing his best friend after she finally joins the group. "Your Pokemon battled to their very best, and that's all that really matters."

"I know, and I'm glad to have all of you here with me," Angelina said softly.

"What're we going to do now?" Christina asked.

"The Evergrande Conference, of course," Angelina replied. "Its coming up in a couple weeks and I need to start training again!"

_**'Sounds good enough for me,'**_ Seamus chuckled to himself, happy to have the old Angelina back to normal after she was defeated by Hoenn's Elite Champion. He walked out of the stadium with the others and back to the cabin for a good nights' sleep. Angelina treats her battles through Hoenn's Elite Four as another page of memories in her life, and with determination, she can now concentrate on her future battles in the Evergrande Conference.

**§To Be Continued§**

So now Angelina is the new Champion of Hoenn and her friends and sister witnessed the victory. YAY! I'm happy and I can't wait to start on the other chapters! More is to come my dear reviewers! Thank you, and I shall return!


	55. A Preliminary Start

Whoa! I'm back with the next chapter, and it took only 22 days! Thanks for waiting, I'll let you read now! I don't own Pokemon except my characters! Enjoy!

**Chapter 55: A Preliminary Start**

A couple weeks after Angelina's defeat by Hoenn's Elite Four Champion and with much needed training, our heroes finally arrive in Evergrande City for the Hoenn League Championships. Its the most prestigious Pokemon competition there is where elite trainers come to compete along with trainers whom have earned eight badges by emerging victorious from a variety of gym battles.

Jeremy's good friend Tyson Rylie from Mauville City kicked off the competition by carrying the league torch from Evergrande City all the way to the Hoenn League Championship's Evergrande Stadium. A friendship was then forged between Tyson and Angelina's brother Ash after Team Rocket attempted to steal the league torch. This left Angelina and friends not wasting any time as they got registered for the tournament at the Pokemon Center and awaited instructions from Seamus's father for Angelina's upcoming Crystalline concert.

"You're going to like the deluxe suites the Hoenn League has for special guests," Seamus told Angelina, exiting the elevator with the everyone on the top floor.

Angelina unlocked the door and was amazed with the beauty of her suite. Living in here for the next couple weeks would be a piece of cake. Everyone threw their bags onto a couch in the living room while Angelina locked her door as they began to venture farther into the suite. The living room was equipped with a huge entertainment center.

The kitchen was connected to the living room. Jeremy opened the fridge and looked inside. It was fully equipped with water, soda, and food. There was a note in the fridge that displayed the number for room service. How convenient. He closed the fridge while Seamus opened a door to the left of the kitchen finding a small, empty den with a computer. The guys shrugged and closed the door, then entering the door to the right of the kitchen where they would be sharing a bedroom with the girls. The room had a king sized bed with a gold and amber canopy, which meant the guys would shared the living room couch that folded out into a bed. There was a big screened television inside of an empty armoire where the girls would fill up with their clothes.

Angelina and Dani went into the bathroom to look around. It consisted of a glass shower, a toilet with a gold plated seat, gold plated sinks, and a hot tub. Everything in the suite was so overdone and all they could do now was kick back and relax until the competition finally started.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**I'm walkin' down this endless highway  
With nothin' but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced battle is the ultimate test**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky  
We can never win, but they sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They've come to play but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon **_

"I hear voices this way, guys." said Tyson, a young guy with spiky-shaggy brown hair and sharp green eyes. He was Jeremy's age wearing a dark green jacket over a dark red shirt with light green pants and blue shoes.

With only one day away from the Hoenn League Championships, Angelina and friends make final preparations with their Pokemon and catch up with Tyson along the way. They are venturing the forest near the stadium grounds and stepped out into a clearing finding Team Rocket with their backs turned and peering down into a hole.

"Now let's go do our trademark stealing and go grab all dose Pokemon!" Meowth ordered excitedly.

"Yeah!" Jessie and James cheered.

"Hold it!" Tyson said, startling the Rockets. "So we meet again."

"What trouble are you three up to this time?" Angelina asked.

"Dat's none of your business, sweetcheeks! So move along and take your twerpcateers wit ya!" Meowth replied.

"Meowth. Meow, meow. Meowth!" said Tyson's Meowth calmly. The feline Pokemon stood on its hind legs wearing a western-style cowboy piece. It wore a blue hat with a large yellow feather adorning the top, a small red scarf around its neck, and a pair of brown fur boots on its feet.

"That could not have been nice." James said.

"Oh, it was just sayin' I'm a pathetic embarrassment to Meowth's everywhere." Meowth said, then narrowed his eyes and glared, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Maybe he's right," Angelina giggled.

"Just keep talkin' dere, smarty-boots, and you're gonna be real sorry!" Meowth growled.

"Me-owth!" Tyson's Meowth smirked.

"I DO NOT EAT HAIRBALLS!" Meowth screamed, then unleashed its white sharp claws. "All right! I didn't wanted ta come ta dis, but ya left me no choice!"

"Wait Meowth, hold on!" James screamed.

"Meowth, stealing the twerp's Pokemon is more important than a family feud." Jessie reminded worriedly.

"Nothin's more important dan a Meowth's honor except maybe a nice sandwich!" Meowth defended in rage, running quickly.

"Meowth! Use your Iron Tail!" Tyson ordered.

Tyson's Meowth's tail glowed white and slammed into Team Rocket's Meowth, sending the Pokemon backwards into Jessie and James; then sending them flying though the air.

"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

Angelina stood next to Tyson, Dani, Amber, and Christina as they watched Jeremy pull Ash from the hole. Seamus also helped out a chubby boy around Ash's age with orange hair in a ponytail and wore a samurai-type outfit that consisted of a pink shirt and magenta pants.

"Hey Ash, do you know all these people?" the boy asked, glancing at the group of trainers, mostly the girls.

"Well yeah. That's Tyson and his Meowth. The guys that helped us were Jeremy and Seamus, then those girls there are Amber and Danielle, and those two are my sisters, Christina and Angelina." Ash said, pointing at each person he named, but did a double take at his sister and her friends. "How did you guys meet Tyson already?"

"He's good friends with Jeremy. We met him awhile back in Mauville City after I won my Dynamo badge." Angelina said. "Good time, but long story to be told later."

"Morrison!" a voice yelled from behind everyone, it belonged to Ash's best friend, Brock. "Hey Morrison, they're saying you're not registered over at the Pokemon Center."

"What am I supposed to be registering for?" Morrison asked.

"You have to be registered in order to compete in the tournament, and the cut off is at 5 o'clock." Brock said.

"FIVE O CLOCK? I GOTTA RUN!" Morrison said before taking off in a fast run. "GOTTA GO REGISTER!"

Everyone walked back to the Pokemon Center and found Morrison after he was registered. He was lucky that the group came along to help when they did, but mostly thanks to Tyson and his Meowth.

"Mee-owth." Tyson's Meowth walks away frowning.

"Why's Meowth so unhappy?" May asked.

Tyson sighed, "I'm afraid that it's been through a lot." he looked to Angelina as if he wanted to tell her something, though she quickly understood and nodded, then he smiles and runs after his Pokemon.

"Oh, good luck tomorrow." Ash called.

"See you guys in the preliminaries!" Tyson waved.

"So what are pre-lim-in-aries, anyway?" Morrison asked.

"You've gotta be kidding," Ash said in shock. "You mean you don't know?"

"The preliminaries are where the hundreds of contestants who have entered get narrowed down to the 256 who will actually compete." Jeremy informed.

"Battles are fought one-on-one in the preliminaries, and you have to register the Pokemon that you're going to use first." Max added.

"Wow Max!" Christina exclaimed in awe. "You really know alot about the Hoenn League!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Max blushed.

"Are you sure you're ready for this tournament, guys?" May asked, her hands on her hips.

"We're always ready," Ash said confidently. "Aren't we?"

"You got that right, buddy!" Morrison grinned.

"That's the spirit," Angelina said happily. "Better hope you don't face me, I won't go easy." she added with a wink.

"Oh ho," said another voice, only this time it sounded from a guy more arrogant.

Everyone turned around to see a young man with spiky olive-colored hair wearing a designer shirt, trousers, and black gloves.

"Let's see, you must be Angelina Murakami. The most talked about trainer in the Hoenn Region next to Ash Ketchum. If there's one trainer that people should be talking around, it's me."

Ash didn't seem to like the man's attitude. "Who are you?"

"You don't know who I am?" replied the man in an arrogant tone. "I'm gonna tell you who I am before I humiliate you in front of everybody. The name is Christian Joltmier. I traveled all around the world defeating trainers and gym leaders non-stop and collected more Pokemon than stamps to get here!"

"Oh really?" Angelina said, unimpressed. "I became Champion of Kanto and Johto even if I haven't yet competed in Johto's Silver Conference, so tell me something I don't know." she smirked.

Joltmier glared angrily, "Well there are two things that I have not done, and that's kick Murakami's or Ketchum's butt in a Pokemon battle!"

Angelina smiled evilly at the mention of _**'Pokemon battle'**_ while she fingered the minimized rhinestoned Pokeball on a silver chain around her next.

"So answer me, Angelina," Joltmier demanded, eyeing up her figure in the meantime and earning a few glares from Angelina's guy friends. "You and me, any round. What do you say?"

"Personally? It's out of the question since you're not my type," Angelina said, grinning. "Officially, I accept your match, and this will take Pokemon training to a whole new level."

"Too right! I will show everyone that I am more charismatic, more skillful, and more stronger than anybody!" Joltmier announced proudly. "No one will be comparing me to anybody else!"

"Yeah keep thinking that," Angelina rolled her eyes, then grinned darkly, "But I'm gonna show you something that you probably have never received from a girl, no mercy."

_**(S)12345(S) **_

The next day while the others attended the preliminary battles of Ash and Morrison, Angelina's friends sat among the crowd cheering Angelina on during her match of her Charizard versus Christian Joltmier's Jolteon.

"Jolteon! Thunder attack!"

"Already?" Angelina asked with a confident smirk.

Jolteon charged himself up until his electric powers were full; he then let out a huge roar as lightning was shot out from him and went into the clouds and then dived down at Charizard.

"Too easy," Angelina critisized. "Dodge to your left, Charcoal!"

Charizard did what he was instructed as he confidently took one step to his left, making the lightning hit the ground instead, missing him by an inch. A lot of people in the audience had surprised looks on their faces and gasped.

"Whoa!" Seamus said. "Smooth move, if that Thunder attack did hit Typhlosion, it would've done a lot of damage."

"Now Charcoal!" Angelina commanded. "Mega Punch attack!"

"Jolteon!" Christian yelled. "Pin Missile attack!"

Jolteon shot out his Pin Missile attack like wildfire. The attack did hit Charizard, but he wasn't even fazed as he continued to run at Jolteon at high speed.

Charizard went on to hit Jolteon with Mega Punch, but he jumped out of harm's way, making Charizard punch the ground instead. The punch was so hard that it created a hole in it.

"Jolteon!" Christian commanded. "Agility now!"

Jolteon started to run rings around Charizard.

"Stand still," Angelina said. "Don't worry too much about it."

Jolteon had been running around Charizard for a long time, but Charizard didn't show any signs of confusion or tiredness. Christian's Jolteon was beginning to get frustrated.

"Jolteon!" Christian ordered. "Tackle attack!"

"In front of him?" Angelina asked with criticism. "Charcoal, Shadow Punch!"

Charizard gave a stretched and swift punch to knock Jolteon down, like a Seviper would strike a Pidgey.

Christina gave several blinks. "What happened? I've never seen a Pokemon punch like that before."

"A Shadow Punch?" Dani asked. "I thought that only Dusclops learned that move."

"Angel has her own way of teaching moves." Jeremy replied.

Jolteon slowly picked himself up.

"Jolteon!" Christian commanded. "Thunderbolt attack!"

Angelina gave a confidant smiled as Jolteon charged himself up. Jolteon tried to let off the electric attack, but it was no use as he suddenly felt worn out.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Christian asked.

"Batteries have their own limits," Angelina replied. "And it looks like your Jolteon has reached his."

"What?!"

"Since Jolteon has been running around Typhlosion for a long time, he has been growing tired. That means that he had no longer had the energy to use his electric attack, let alone carry on with the battle. In other words…. You're finished."

"No way!"

"Charcoal, Focus Punch!"

Charizard turned around as he charged himself. Jolteon had no more energy to move, as Charizard flew quickly at him while giving a devastating punch, which caused an explosion, sending him flying.

"NO!" Christian cried as his Jolteon fell to the ground unconscious.

"Jolteon is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner! The victory goes to Angelina!" the referee called.

Everyone stood and gave a deafening cheer for Angelina. Christian Joltmier fell to his knees and was in tears as he called back his defeated Pokemon.

Angelina smiled, "Nice job, Charcoal! Return!" a red beam shot out and engulfed the fire/flying Pokemon into the Pokeball. She then walked out of the arena and met up with her friends; they walked over to another arena where Ash and his friends were watching Tyson and his Meowth in a battle with a girl and her Persian.

"Iron Tail!" Tyson ordered.

Meowth leapt into the air, its glowing tail smashes into Persian, which was sent spiraling backwards.

"Now follow that with a Thunderbolt, Meowth!"

"Quick Persian! Dig and escape it underground!" Vivica commanded.

Meowth shoots out the electrical attack right into the hole that Persian escaped through. It rips right right through the ground until it hits its target, and Persian is thrusted straight out and screaming from the attack, then smashes into the ground unconscious.

"No, my Persian!" Vivica called out.

"Persian is unable to battle. Meowth is the winner! The victory goes to Tyson!" the referee announced.

Suddenly, Tyson's Meowth extends its claws once more and runs toward the Persian, but Tyson grabs a hold of his Pokemon and says the battle is over.

"Oh no!" Angelina cried, while her friends watched in confusion as Meowth broke free and leapt towards Persian.

"No Meowth! Return!" Tyson yelled, holding out a Pokeball and watched his Pokemon disappear inside.

Outside the stadium, the whole gang gathered around Tyson, whom is sitting on a bench holding Meowth's ball.

"It all started just a few weeks into my journeys here in the Hoenn Region when I met this Meowth by accident one night in the forest not too far from here, in fact." Tyson explained to Ash and his friends while Angelina's gang were sympathetic from just being around to witness the events. "I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on my way back to the cabins where I was staying with some friends. It had just started to snow when I heard what sounded like a serious fight. In a clearing, I saw a Meowth battling a Persian. I didn't know what to do, but I know I just couldn't leave it there. Then I realized it was badly hurt. Back at the cabin, I saw that the fight with the Persian had done some real damage, especially to its legs, that's why as it began to heal, I put those boots on it to give them some support. I think the battle I saw must've been to decide the leader of the pack and Meowth lost. It would've been treated as an outcast, so wasn't able to go home again."

"It's lucky you found it." Ash said.

"Hmph!" Morrison folded his arms. "Well no wonder its got a rotten attitude toward all Persian."

"But wouldn't it be better if it just evolved into a Persian?" May asked.

"I don't think so, because this one wants to prove that even as a Meowth, it can beat a Persian." Brock replied.

"Exactly what I think." Tyson agreed. "I think the memory of that battle burns inside it all the time and it will never be at peace until it finally wins."

"Hey Angel, you okay?" Jeremy asked, noticing the girl was very quiet and had her eyes closed, thinking.

"Yeah, Tyson's story just reminded me of our Christmas a while ago, that's all...."

**FLASHBACK**

**Angelina and friends were still traveling through Hoenn (now joined by Dani) and rented a cabin in the middle of a snow-covered forest for two weeks. The fireplace was crackling merrily, several bunches of mistletoe were lined up around the ceiling, streamers were hung across the house, along with several colored lights. The Christmas tree stood in the corner, tall and majestic with tinsel, glass balls, Pokeballs, garland, bows, and small glass lights. Bits of snow had also been placed on the tree, adding a twinkling effect to it. **

**They had finished decorating the house long before Drew arrived; the young co-ordinator was taking a break before participating in the Grand Festival. Even Jeremy invited Tyson to stay with them. Introductions were made and the festivities started with movies, video games, snowball fights, and relaxing in the cabin's jacuzzi.**

**Everyone was startled one night when Tyson entered the cabin carrying a wild Meowth that was badly hurt. He explained to his friends that he saw the Meowth was fighting a Persian for leadership of the pack, losing and abandoned. Angelina and Jeremy helped Tyson tend to the Pokemon's injuries; mostly damaged more on its legs, so it wore boots for support while being healed.**

**In the afternoon on Christmas Eve, Christina was occupying the Pokemon (Togepi, Roselia, TJ the Pichu, and Boots the Meowth) while Jeremy was talking to Tyson and Drew about their Pokemon. This left Dani and Amber getting lunch for everyone and Angelina was still upstairs getting ready. **

**"Lunch is ready, guys," Dani walked into the living room carrying a big plate of Christmas cookies and sandwiches.**

**"Yeah, don't forget the eggnog and hot chocolate," Amber added, carrying a tray of mugs of the drinks.**

**"Mmm, what smells so good?" **

**Everyone looked around when they heard a voice, but it was Tyson that looked up the stairs and his jaw dropped. Angelina was standing at the top, with a long white silk dress that shimmered in the light. She also had some green silk cloth wrapped around her waist, with some excess cloth hanging down from the knot. Her strawberry-blonde hair flowed delicately down her shoulders. She was wearing a chain necklace, with a small piece of mistletoe on it, as well as earrings in the shape of red Christmas-tree balls. A pair of pearl white angel wings were fitted on her back. She started to make her way down the stairs.**

**"Everything okay?" Angelina asked, then the other two guys spotted her. Jeremy was stunned and Drew's face was slightly red. Amber quickly sets down the tray on the coffee table and unplugged the Game Cube before the guys noticed. **

**Tyson was just amazed, he got up from the arm chair and approached Angelina while their eyes were locked together. "Wow, I guess all angels do have wings."**

**Angelina blushed almost the same color as her earrings, this made Dani and Christina squeal over them in delight while Jeremy chuckled. **

**Drew smirked and muttered something to Amber, who rolled her eyes and walked over to the older trainers, "Hey, I believe you two have something you need to do." she pointed at the ceiling, and looking up, they saw a fine piece of mistletoe above their heads. **

**"Oh my...." Angelina blushed.**

**"Well, if its a must," Tyson said, grinning as he took Angelina's hands into his.**

**So, with their friends watching, Angelina and Tyson shared their first kissed. And as the snow kept falling steadily outside and their hot chocolate was cooling down, they knew their kiss wouldn't be the only one shared during their christmas together and was the start of something new growing beyond their friendship.**

**END FLASHBACK **

Now that the preliminaries have ended; Ash, Morrison, Tyson, Angelina, Danielle, Seamus, and Jeremy have qualified for the main event. In recognition of his previous work protecting the torch, Ash's granted the great honor of running the final leg, and with that torch, assenting the great stadium steps. As thousands of Pokemon fans, including family and friends, look on from all over the world, Ash lights the flame to begin the Hoenn League Championships. The competition Ash and Angelina will be facing will be the toughest they've had to contend with yet. Will either of the two siblings have what it takes to make it all the way? Hang onto yours seats!

**§To Be Continued§**

I took quotes from the episode _**'Saved By The Beldum'**_. The only preliminary battles I didn't put in were Morrison's, Ash's, Dani's, Seamus', and Jeremy's. Thought I'd also put in a Christmas scene too. Not to worry though because there will be more battles to come. Thanks for reading! I shall return again!


	56. A Win, A Confession, And Trouble

Thanks for the reviews, guys! Can't believe it's already going into summer! Sorry I took so long to update, here's the next chapter, it takes place during the episode _**'Shocks and Bonds'**_. I don't own Pokemon except my characters and ideas. I don't even own the songs _**'Be Good To Me'**_ by Ashley Tisdale and _**'Catch Me If You Can'**_ by Angela Via. Enjoy!

**Chapter 56: A Win, A Confession, And Trouble**

"C'mon Lina! You can do it!" Amber and Christina cheered from the crowd during Angelina's second double battle against trainer Tanya from Copper Town.

The Hoenn Pokemon League Championships have finally begun, preliminary matches kicked off the tournament where more than 600 Pokemon trainers were reduced to the final 256 that moved onto the qualifyinh rounds. Ash, Angelina, Tyson, Dani, Seamus, Jeremy, and Morrison all made it through. Despite the stiff competition and some surprises from their Pokemon, they proceeded to the final matches. The format for those final matches made things even tougher. There were three double battle rounds to get through where even a single loss meant the end of the line for that trainer's bid to move on to the victory tournament.

While Dani and Seamus watch Jeremy's battle, the others watch Ash and Angelina's battles take place at the same time.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh**_  
_**I'm unbeatable**_  
_**  
I'm walkin' down this endless highway**_  
_**With nothin' but my friends beside me**_  
_**We'll never give in, we'll never rest**_  
_**Advanced battle is the ultimate test**_  
_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky**_  
_**We can never win, but they sure can try**_  
_**  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh**_  
_**I'm unbeatable**_  
_**Pokemon**_ _**Advanced Battle**_  
_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh**_  
_**I'm undefeatable**_  
_**  
From the stars and the ancient past**_  
_**They've come to play but they'll never last**_  
_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh**_  
_**I'm unbeatable**_  
_**Pokemon**_ _**Advanced Battle**_  
_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh**_  
_**I'm undefeatable**_  
_**  
Oh, oh, oh**_  
_**Advanced Battle**_  
_**I'm unbeatable**_  
_**Pokemon**_

Angelina stood on the right side of the field with her Pikachu and Azumarill while Tanya was on the left side standing confidently with her Golbat and Mightyena.

"Mightyena, use Sand Attack!"

The Bite Pokemon turned around and used its back legs to kick dirt at Pikachu and Azumarill, blinding them with a flurry of dust.

"Golbat, use Screech!"

The Bat Pokemon let loose a sharp sound, lowering Pikachu and Azumarill's defenses heavily. Both of Angelina's Pokemon covered their ears and howled in agony, being pounded on both hearing and sight senses.

Angelina growled at Tanya's Pokemon's teamwork. They were good, but Angelina didn't get this far without knowing a few tricks.

"Chocolate, hurry and use Dig! Spritz, use Icy Wind to blow the dust away!"

Pikachu, who barely heard Angelina's call, managed to successfully burrow underground, avoiding Golbat's Screech attack. Azumarill also heard Angelina's command; taking in air and exhaling a harsh icy wind. The attack managed to blow the dust away, but Azumarill didn't expect Mightyena to go at her with a Tackle attack to the stomach, knocking her back. Azumarill instinctively countered with an Iron Tail; her buoy-ball at the end of her tail glowed white and struck Mightyena, sending the wolf-Pokemon into the ground unconscious.

"Mightyena is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" the referee called.

'_**She's not so brave now,'**_ Angelina smirked while her opponent returned her fainted Dark-type. _**'This battle is mine.'**_

"Golbat, use Wing Attack on that Azumarill!" Tanya shouted, pointing to the Water-type.

The Poison/Flying-type Pokemon gave out a shrill cry as it lunged towards Azumarill.

Angelina narrowed her eyes in a calculating manner. She had to time it just right. "Spritz, jump back on my mark…." Azumarill complied and prepared to jump back as the bat flew at high-speed. "….NOW!" her Pokemon jumped back immediately, the bat still locked onto its target. "Chocolate, Zap Cannon!"

Right under Golbat, the ground started to erupted with overflowing electrical energy. Golbat screeched as it was hit directly by a ball of electricity. Then Pikachu jumped from the hole and smacked Golbat with an Iron Tail strike, sending it flying into the ground knocked out.

"Ah! Golbat!" Tanya gasped.

"Golbat is unable to battle! Pikachu and Azumarill are the winners!" the referee declared. "Victory of this match goes to Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town!"

"YES, WE DID IT!" Angelina shouted, running up to her Pokemon and hugged them happily.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"Jeremy was so awesome!"

"Oh really?" Angelina asked, she and Dani were talking quietly later that night while the others were asleep. "Well I heard Ash and Morrison were good with their battles too."

"Yeah, theirs were the same time as yours," Dani informed, fluffing her pillow. "Good thing we were all able to watch Tyson's match."

"I'll say, he's something," Angelina agreed, replaying Tyson's hit-and-run tactics of his battle in her mind. "Brock said his hidden strength was a good offence and defence. I better be careful if I'm ever up against him."

"But I just couldn't believe how strong Jeremy's Pokemon have gotten since the last time I saw them." Dani gushed excitedly. "You'd be amazed if you had seen them, too."

Angelina rolled her eyes and smiled with a nod, "Not like I haven't, but I know what you mean." she then sighed, "I just hope you didn't forget your boyfriend during the battle."

"Huh? You mean Seamus?" Dani blinked, lucky that the lights were out and her reddened face couldn't be seen. "Well I'm sorry to say this, but we're not dating. We just decided to stay friends and we thought you'd be happy." she said shamefully.

Angelina smiled, pulling her friend into a comforting hug. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about. My rivalry with Seamus has long been over with, although a bit rocky now-and-then, but the friendship is still there."

"I know how that is." Dani laughed slightly. "He mentioned all the times you defeated him in battles, and at one point he said something about liking Betsy Oak."

"Won't be surprised if it works out," Angelina said, then pointed a finger at her friend. "And since you're single again, keep in mind that Jeremy's crush on you stopped that marriage years ago. I've noticed throughout my travels with him what feelings he has, I assume, would be for you if he was given a chance."

Dani sighed, then nodded. "Its really that obvious, huh? Well now I realize where and whom my heart lies with. Thank you, Angel."

"Tomorrow's gonna be very busy, so we better get some sleep," Angelina suggested and the girls re-settled back into bed.

During the afternoon of the next day, a mini stage was set up inside the Hoenn League Stadium for the evening's Crystalline concert. Angelina told the league officials that no one was to be around the area during the practice except for a select list of people.

_**Ohh come and try to catch me  
Ohh catch me if you can  
Oh come and try to catch me  
Ohh catch me if you can  
**_  
As Angelina sang along to _**'Catch Me If You Can'**_, she was also performing different dance moves that she got offline by her choreographer (aka Marcus's wife April); her Pikachu and Azumarill were dancing alongside. She wore her blonde wig styled in layers, a short black cheerleader-like skirt with black sandals, and a bright blue tank top. The only difference with her eyes was that she wore colored contacts to make them blue.

Jeremy and Amber were checking the sound systems and instruments while Christina and Dani were handing out concert flyers around the city, and Seamus was greeting his father's arrival.

Angelina looked towards the stadium entrance where Dani and Christina were being followed by a trio of people she didn't recognize.

_**Look out, its time the world was ready for  
A new thing, its time I got ahead  
Get back cause nothings gonna stop me  
And I won't quit till I'm sitting on the top**_

"You-hoo, Miss Crystaline!" called out a woman with glasses and long red hair wearing a dark red suit. "Hope we're not interrupting anything here!" She was joined by a man also wearing a dark suit with violet shoulder-length hair holding a camera with a Meowth in a blue suit and moustache, holding a microphone. "Would you care to give us an interview?"

"Uhhm," Angelina was in shock when the trio jumped on stage and circled her. "Sure, I suppose there's time."

"Course dere is, doll-face! And I betcha yous got some really strong Pokemon, too!" the Meowth winked.

"Huh? Say whaa?!" Angelina gasped and stared at the feline Pokemon in shock. Jeremy and Amber even halted their work and stared suspiciously with Dani and Christina.

_**I'll never give up when the going gets tough  
I know I'm gonna make it through  
To just try will never be enough  
I'll show you there's nothing that I can't do**_

"Ex-nay!" the woman growled, she smacked the Pokemon hard.

"Don't mind him," the blue-haired man assured, then got a full body-shot of Angelina with a leering grin. "So, you have a nice boyfriend, right? But then what man wouldn't want someone like you is-"

"Out of your league," Jeremy finished, standing in front of Angelina with his arms folded and glaring dangerously.

_**Ohh come and try to catch me  
Ohh catch me if you can  
Oh come and try to catch me  
Ohh catch me if you can**_

"Yes, right you are," the woman agreed, pulling back the camera guy a few feet. "But I believe the last issue of Seventeen mentioned that Miss Crystalline was preparing for the upcoming Hoenn League Tournament. Goodness, could you be-"

"WHAT?! NO! LIES!" Angelina yelled as she waved her arms and jumped in front of Jeremy, her Pikachu and Azumarill right with her growling just as angrily. "Let's battle right now! And I mean that Meowth!"

"Pika-pika! Pika, pikachu, pi-ka!" Chocolate smirked. _**(He's no where near being battle materical)**_

"Azu, azumarill!" Spritz added. _**(A walkin-talkin' freak)**_

"Nya, dat's not nice!" Meowth said, unleashing its claws. "I can take yous on!"  
_**  
Get up, let's see whatcha made of  
Bring it on, you know I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid)  
There's no way that you can slow me down now  
It's time to show you what I'm all about**_

(Repeat Bridge and Chorus 3X)

"Allow me!" the man offered, pressing a button on the camera that unleashed a huge net that captured the Pokemon while a blue ring shot out and binded Angelina from moving.

"H-hey, what're you doing with my Pokemon?" Angelina yelled, then she realized who and what she was confronting, "Oh no, not you guys!"

The man and woman laugh sinisterly and take off their dark suits; now wearing white uniforms with red _**'R'**_s on the front.

"Prepare for trouble, we're bad and mean."

"And make it double, dear Crystalline."

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket, blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Me-owth! Dat's right!" the Meowth finished, not wearing a suit anymore.

"It's Team Rocket!" Christina said, hugging her frightened Togepi.

"Go Sparkette!" Jeremy threw a Pokeball that brought out a Raichu, whom was ready to launch at attack on the Rocket trio.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jessie warned, she and Meowth were hauling the netted Pokemon as James stood beside them holding Angelina over his shoulder.

"ANGELINA!" Jeremy, Dani, Amber, and Christina yelled.

"You see, if you blast us away, you'll blast off your precious friend here!" James informed. "So say goodbye because you'll never see her again!" he chuckled as Team Rocket's balloon flew out of the stadium, taking Angelina and her Pokemon hostage.

"No, Angelina!" Jeremy yelled, then growled. "I can't believe they got away with her and her Pokemon!"

"We're not giving up just yet," Dani said and threw out a Pokeball. "Go Fruitsy!"

The white light revealed a brown Pokemon with green leaves extending from its back and had bananas hanging from its chin at the end of its long neck.

"Wow, that's a very nice Tropius," Jeremy said.

"Thanks, Jer." Dani smiled.

Amber took out her Pokedex and pointed it at Dani's Pokemon.

'_**Tropius, the Fruit Pokemon,'**_ the Pokedex identified the Pokemon. _**'It flies by flapping the leaves on its back as if they were wings and its growth of fruit on its neck is guessed to be due to its constant fruit eating.'**_

"Tropius is also part Grass and part Flying, so we can use him to fly over Evergrande City." Dani explained.

"Yeah, that would save time," Jeremy agreed. "But if we used another Pokemon and more people and then split up, we'd find Team Rocket and Angelina faster."

Elsewhere….

Team Rocket has landed their balloon in the forest outside the city; they locked up Angelina's Pikachu and Azumarill in an electric-proof cage while Angelina was also locked in a cage.

"Oh c'mon, guys! You know me too well to lock me up like this!" Angelina cried irritably.

"Yes we know, but it was Jessie's idea." James looked sorrowfully at the ground. "She said you'd run away and try to get away with the Pokemon we stole from you."

"Geas, ya really think so," Angelina muttered sarcastically.

"You're in for a world of hurt now, Team Rocket!" yelled a voice from above the trio. They looked up and saw a Tropius carrying Dani and Jeremy while running toward them was Amber and Christina.

"Go Sparkette!" Jeremy said, and the female Pokemon jumped forward with her yellow cheek-sacs sparking.

Meowth gasped, staring at the Raichu happily with hearts in his eyes. "I can't believe you're here! I've missed you so much, Sparkette dear!"

"Pika pika, pikachu, pika, pi-ka, chu, pika!" Chocolate yelled from inside the cage. _**(Daddy and his friends kidnapped us, Mom) **_

"Rai-raichu?" Sparkette glared at the feline Pokemon. _**(Oh really?) **_

Meowth gulped nervously, "Ah haha, just for a joke, dear. Dat right, guys?" He looked towards Jessie and James, whom were reaching for their Pokeballs.

"Don't even think about it! Get'em with Thunderbolt!" Jeremy ordered his electric Pokemon.

"Rai-CHUUUUUUUU!" Sparkette released a huge blast of electricity, hitting the Rockets and sent them blasting into the sky.

Amber and Christina freed the Pokemon while Jeremy and Dani walked up to their friend's cage.

"Hey Angel, need some help?" Jeremy grinned.

Angelina glared at him. "Soon as I'm outta here, I'm so wiping that grin off your face."

"Well that's a nice _**'thank you for saving me'**_," Dani laughed. "Maybe we should just leave you in there."

"Oh c'mon, I was kidding!" Angelina clasped her hands in begging. "Please let me out! I gotta concert in five hours!"

Jeremy produced a key and unlocked the cage, helping Angelina out so she could recall her Pokemon. They climbed onto Tropius and flew out of the forest with Amber, Dani, and Christina.

Later that night, the Hoenn League Championship's Evergrande Stadium was packed with people screaming and cheering during the Crystalline concert. Dani and Christina were standing back stage with Seamus and his father, Amber was on bass guitar and jamming with the other musicians, and Jeremy was dancing with Angelina as she sang her second newest song _**'Be Good To Me'**_.

_**I used to think I had it all  
Then one day we hit a wall  
I had hoped you were the one  
Where's my dream, where has it gone  
I wanted to be with you  
Forever just me and you  
**_

_**So why can't you be  
Be good to me**_

_**I don't ask for much  
All I want is love  
Someone to see  
That's all I need  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Somebody to be  
Good to me  
Good to me  
Can you be good to me  
Please**_

_**  
**_Jeremy had on a dark blue wig, black baggy jeans, white sneakers, and a red shirt while Angelina wore another outfit different than what she wears on her journeys. It consisted of a turquoise and black corset-style spaghetti-strapped top with a gold design on the sides, a white spaghetti-strapped top underneath, blue jean designer shorts with flower designs on back pockets, black and white converses with white socks.

_**Where do I go from here  
You've gotten under my skin  
And I don't know how  
To get out of this place that I'm in**_

_**(Repeat Chorus)**_

_**  
**_Angelina bows and waves to the crowd of cheers, screams, and whistles. "Thank you, Evergrande City! This concludes tonight's concert! You've all been a wonderful audience!" she runs off stage and meets up with her friends, and together they exit the stadium flying on Charizard, Dragonite, and Tropius.

"Wow, am I glad that's over," Angelina said, after changing into her pajamas and drinking down a bottle of water to wet her throat. It was sore after a lot of singing over a stadium of screaming people. She and her friends were back inside the suite and were settling down for the night.

_**Riiinger-ring!**_ _**'Call for Angelina! Call for Angelina!'**_ Angelina's Poke-Gear went off.

Everyone looked up as Angelina pulled out the vibrating machine from her backpack strap, the caller ID said _**Tyson R. 961-4712**_. She raised an eyebrow in confusion and talked into it. "Hello?"

"Hey Angelina, it's May! Tyson let me borrow his Poke-Gear to call you. Hope its not too late, haven't seen you since yesturday."

"Oh, hey girl. Yeah, I know. Don't worry, hun." Angelina said, grabbing her lyric notebook and walked outside onto the balcony so her friends could get back to sleep. "So how was your day?" she asked, then listened to the female co-ordinator explain what she and her friends did since the concert was sold out and they had to watch it on TV.

"It was so much fun, but the Crystalline concert was out of this world! Brock wished he had more information about you in his book, but Max smacked some sense into him. Morrison and Ash didn't even come out since they've been training with their Pokemon all day. Although I was surprised how much Tyson enjoyed it, he wished you were there with us."

"Well that's cool, I guess," Angelina smiled, blushing at the thought that Tyson had missed her. She looked up and just saw a star shoot its way across the star-covered sky. She quickly closed her eyes to make a wish.

"Hey Angel, thanks for being there for me at the Grand Festival, I really appreciated that," May said, then sighed, "The after-party was okay…. Oh, but wouldn't it be great if Crystalline could do something really thoughtful during the tournament's award ceremony?"

Angelina gasped with inspiration, "Yeah, it would be, May. Well, tomorrow's a big day so I need to get my sleep. Catch up with you later, dear."

"Okay, good night."

Angelina closed off the connection and started jotting down words into her lyric notebook. Then after spell-checking and humming a tune that would fit, she hoped there would be time to find background music, co-singers, and record everything during the time left of the Hoenn League Championships.

**§To Be Continued§**

So Angelina won her second double-battle along with Jeremy, Ash, Morrison and Tyson. Dani admits that she and Seamus broke up and has feelings for Jeremy, then Angelina is kidnapped by Team Rocket and her friends rescue her before the evening's concert. Then with May's suggestion, Angelina creates a new song that will later be performed. This chapter would be longer if I had put in Ash and friends, but trying to decide on what they would say during the events taking place gave me a slight writer's block (LOL). Thanks for reading! Next chapter shall be up very soon! Luve you all!


	57. Rivaled Brawling

Thanks for the reviews! This story didn't take long to plan out. Some of it is based from the episode _**'Choose It or Lose It'**_, the rest is my ideas with some language. I don't own Pokemon except what I own! Enjoy!

**Chapter 57: Rivaled Brawling**

'_**Well here I am, up against my rival in the Top16 finalists.' **_Angelina said in thought, standing on her side of the ice-covered battlefield.

Two days after the Crystalline concert, the victory tournament of the Hoenn League Championships is still continuous as 32 participants do battle in the main stadium, and amongst them only one of them will emerge triumphant to climb the stairs and stand atop the podium as Champion. Matches are full battles using all six Pokemon and trainers make substitutions freely while also adapting to four different variety of fields: Grass, Rock, Water. and Ice. When three of either trainers' Pokemon are rendered unable to battle, there will be a quick break in the match and a battlefield change before the restart.

While Jeremy and Tyson battle their opponents, along with Ash versus Morrison, Angelina and Seamus are almost through with their six-on-six battle as they are both down to three Pokemon each.

Seamus took another Pokeball from his waist and lobbed it onto the ice field. "Come out, Sudowoodo!" When the Pokemon that took the field materialized into the shape of a two-legged tree, Angelina pulled out his Pokedex.

'_**Sudowoodo, the Immitation Pokemon,'**_ Dexette said. _**'Although they look like grass-types, Sudowoodos are actually rock-type Pokemon. They are very rare and hard to find, as they blend in perfectly within forests. Sudowoodo's can stay in one position for days on end without moving a muscle, which gives them an advantage over potential aggressors.'**_

"Not counting the one-on-one we had months ago, but you got lucky the time we battled at Kanto's Elite HQ since we had more Pokemon to use," Seamus informed. "And this time you're not getting an easy win."

"Then put up or shut up," Angelina said, placing away her Pokedex and unleashed her Ivysaur onto the field.

"Gladly." Seamus grinned.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**I'm walkin' down this endless highway  
With nothin' but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced Battle is the ultimate test**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky**_  
_**We can never win, but they sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

"Sudowoodo, Rock Slide!"

"Forest, Stun Spore!"

The Ivysaur prepared his attack as Sudowoodo crouched low to the icy ground and focused. Suddenly, a piece of the ice broke free and floated into the air, hovering around Sudowoodo's feet. And just as the flower on Forest's

back shot out a puff of spores, Sudowoodo willed the chunk of ice to hurdle towards Forest. The ice smashed into Forests back, bludgeoning him to the ground immediately. The spores flowered out into a cloud in the air, spreading all around the field. Angelina held her arm over her nose, holding her breath until the thin veil of dust settled. When she saw the field clearly, Forest was groaning and moaning on the ground, while Sudowoodo was standing as stiff as a real tree, twitching rapidly.

"Come on, Forest, keep going!" Angelina cheered.

"Don't lose heart, Sudowoodo," Seamus said, "Now, Low Kick!"

Angelina's fist clenched nervously as she ordered, "Forest, take in the sunlight!"

As Sudowoodo struggled to move forwards, Forest weakly raised his head up towards the sun, gave a suddenly satisfied sigh of relief, and let his body bask in the bright sun's rays. By now, Sudowoodo had staggered towards Forest, and he wound his foot back, ready to kick Forest square between the eyes. His leg shot forward, and suddenly froze only a centimeter away from Forest's face.

"No!" Seamus fumed in frustration as Sudowoodo trembled uncontrollably, stuck in the same position.

"Let him have it, Forest!" Angelina ordered, "Solar Beam!"

Forest grunted, tipped his flower to Sudowoodo's face, and unleashed a massive blast of energy upon him. The Solar Beam roared through the stadium like a crack of thunder, flooring Sudowoodo in a heartbeat. When the beam faded, Sudowoodo groaned in shame and defeat, barely able to move.

"Sudowoodo is unable to battle! Ivysaur wins!" the referee declared.

Seamus growled inwardly as he zapped Sudowoodo back into his Pokeball.

"Having fun getting your ass whipped again, Seamus?" Angelina taunted.

"I'm through playing games, Angel," Seamus snarled, brandishing another Pokeball, "So let's see how you like playing with my other Pokemon. Go, Seviper!"

The Pokemon that materialized on the icy field in front of Angelina looked similar to the one that Team Rocket's Jessie had. Angelina pulled out her Pokedex.

'_**Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokemon,'**_ Dexette said. _**'This Pokemon shares a vicious feud with the Zangoose, a global war which has carried on for thousands of generations. Because of their constant fighting, Seviper's and Zangoose are natural born competitors, who even at birth are ready to fight. The arrow-like appendage on the tip of Seviper's tail is a razor-sharp bone, capable of infecting victims with venom just as potent as the poison found in its fangs. Sevipers are extremely ill-tempered and very vicious. Approach with caution.'**_

"Impressive, isn't she?" Seamus asked.

Angelina snorted off Seamus's bragging, "Forest, Razor Leaf!"

"Seviper, Toxic!"

As soon as the Ivysaur prepared his attack, Seviper lunged forward and spat out a thick glob of black gunk, spattering all over Forest's eyes. Forest screeched in agony as he frantically rubbed his eyes with his vines.

"Now, Seviper," Seamus ordered, "Take Down!"

With that, Seviper threw herself into the blinded Iveysaur, knocking him onto his side. Just as Forest struggled to get up again, Seviper whipped her tail around, sending her razor-sharp tail into Forest's back. Poisoned and already beaten down, Forest quickly collapsed to the ground.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle! Seviper wins!" the referee announced.

"Damn," Angelina growled, recalling her Ivysaur.

"You're not the only one who's full of surprises, are you?" Seamus jeered.

"All right, I'll stop playing games, too, Seamus," Angelina said, tossing out another Pokeball. "Get'em, Chocolate!" from the white light, her Pikachu appeared onto the field and released a Thunderbolt at Seviper, who quickly dodged to the side.

The poison snake swept his glowing tail at the electric mouse, who nimbly dodged the Poison Tail attack. Chocolate used her Agility/Double team combo to confuse Seviper, before hitting him with a Quick Attack. The move stunned the snake long enough for Chocolate to hit him with a Thundershock. The snake hissed in pain, before launching a Poison Sting attack.

The attack bounced harmlessly off the spot where Chocolate had been a second ago. Chocolate stopped behind Seviper and used another Thunderbolt. Seviper quickly dodged and fired another Poison Sting, hitting Chocolate.

Angelina's Pikachu staggered while Seviper flew at her and wrapped around the female-electric mouse, binding her with his coils. The only way that Chocolate could escape was launching a Thunder attack at the serpent, knocking him out immediately, and sending him crashing to the ground a few feet away.

"Seviper is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" the referee said.

"Unbelievable!" Seamus muttered, zapping Seviper back into his Pokeball.

"You okay, Chocolate?" Angelina called out to her electric Pokemon, whom turned back with a paw's-up and a smile. "Great! Just one more to go! We can do this!"

Seamus smirked, "Come on out, Mr. Mime!" he tossed out a Pokeball and the light formed a clown-like Pokemon.

"Whoa, haven't seen one of those in a long time," Angelina said, pulling out her Pokedex.

'_**Mr. Mime, the Barrier Pokemon,'**_ Dexette informed. _**'Using its psychic powers, Mr. Mimes can create barriers composed of pure psychic energy. They **_

_**naturally act like mimes to enhance their telekinetic abilities.'**_

Angelina closed her Pokedex and placed in back into her skirt pocket. "Some help that was," she sighed. "Okay Chocolate, Thunderbolt!" she immediately ordered.

"Mr. Mime, Substitute!" Seamus commanded.

Before Chocolate could generate a bolt of electricity, another Mr. Mime seemed to climb out of the skin of Seamus's Mr. Mime and stand right beside him. The strikingly unusual move halted Chocolate and caught Angelina in a dazed wonder. The two Mr. Mimes stood side by side, perfect clones of one another.

"Nevermind that!" Angelina ordered her Pikachu again, "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu squealed as she gathered a bundle of electricity from within her and let it all out of her body in one fast-moving blast of energy. The cloned Mr. Mime leapt in front of the real Mr. Mime and let the Thunderbolt crash into him instead of the original Mr. Mime. The substitute buckled to the ground from the Thunderbolt, quivering quietly from all the electricity surging through his body. The substitute weakly got back to his feet and glared at Pikachu wearily. The original Mr. Mime, however, was completely unharmed.

Seamus laughed from his trainer box. "How do you like my Substitute technique?" he taunted.

"You're laughing only for now," Angelina growled back.

"And I'll stop when I've won," Seamus shot back. "Mr. Mime, Psychic!"

Instantly upon Seamus's command, the real Mr. Mime pointed a thin finger at the electric mouse, and Chocolate was quickly surrounded in a blue glow. With a flick of his wrist, Mr. Mime sent Chocolate flying backwards, smashing her into a nearby rock. The force from the attack was so powerful it shattered the large boulder into hundreds of jagged pebbles. The blue glow subsided and Pikachu collapsed on her belly, groaning.

"Chuu.…" Chocolate muttered, weakly dragging herself to her feet.

"Mr. Mime, Psybeam!" Seamus commanded the instant Pikachu got back to her feet.

Angelina's Pikachu had just set her eyes on the Mr. Mime again when the Pokemon let a rush of psychic wind blast upon her, blowing Pikachu head over heels and knocking her back onto her stomach. Pikachu did not rise again.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, Mr. Mime wins," the referee declared.

"Damn it," Angelina cursed under her breath.

"Wanna' give up now?" Seamus taunted again.

"Sod off, all right?" Angelina snarled back.

"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Seamus teased.

Angelina was just about ready to run over to Seamus and rip his head off. "You won that round," she breathed as she zapped her Pikachu back into the Pokeball, "But I'm taking the next."

"You wish, Angel-face," Seamus laughed.

Before Angelina could shoot back at Seamus, the referee called for both Angelina to send out her last Pokemon.

"Let's go, Feather!" Angelina announced, letting her Swellow loose onto the field.

"Mr. Mime, Substitute!" Seamus ordered.

Angelina quickly took a glance at a different Mr. Mime entry in her Pokedex.

"Swellow, Peck attack!" she commanded.

Just as soon as Mr. Mime created another double of himself, Swellow took to the air and smashed his beak into the clone's face with a deafening screech. The blow was so fierce that the cloned Mr. Mime blew apart into millions of dust particles. As soon as Swellow landed on the ground behind Mr. Mime, the Pokemon winced and fell to the ground on his hands and knees breathing heavily.

"Mr. Mime, create another substitute!" Seamus ordered in a panic.

Angelina, however, remained calm. "Just wait there, Feather," she said with a small grin.

Mr. Mime wearily rose to his feet again and began to sprout another incarnation of himself. However, just as soon as the upper body of the clone emerged from Mr. Mime's body, the clone abruptly collapsed into dust and Mr. Mime fell to his knees, groaning.

"What the-?" Seamus muttered in sudden surprise.

"Feather, use your Steel Wing!" Angelina suddenly ordered.

The Mr. Mime never had time to raise his arms in defense from Swellow's metal-coated wing smashing into his nose, bowling the Pokemon over. With a large gash between his eyes, Mr. Mime lay on his back, completely motionless.

"Mr. Mime is unable to battle! Swellow wins!" the referee declared, "Victory goes to Angelina Murakami from Pallet Town!"

Seamus suddenly sunk to his knees as the crowd cheered loudly to the victor. "What happened?" he whined.

"The substitute takes the energy out of the Pokemon to sustain itself, Seamus," Angelina calmly explained.

"I knew I should've never taught Mr. Mime that!" Seamus cringed.

"Too late," Angelina laughed as Swellow nudged the lifeless Mr. Mime's ribs with his wingtip. "I'm on my way to becoming the Champion of Hoenn's Tournament, Seamus," she said with the purest of all confidence within her, "And I'll be nothing if I let anyone stop me!"

By the time and well after Jeremy and Dani defeated their opponents, Angelina and friends reached another stadium where Ash and Morrison's battle took place. They noticed that Morrison wasn't putting up much of a fight.

"Why isn't Morrison attacking?" Dani asked.

"He doesn't want to battle Ash," Brock explained.

"Uh oh, that's never good," Angelina said worriedly. "Ash told me that if a trainer doesn't try his or her hardest against him, he takes it as an insult."

Everyone within hearing range cringed.

"He wouldn't be the only one," Jeremy muttered, but loud enough for Seamus. "Angel and Ash don't take to insults lightly. They either get over sensitive or…."

"Extremely angry and competitive against everyone they know?" Seamus suggested.

"You're right," Jeremy said.

"Tell me about it." Seamus said, rolling his eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is unpresidented. If Morrison doesn't send out his second Pokemon, the referee may call a forfeit and award the victory to Ash." the announcer informed.

"I know Ash won't allow it," Angelina said, watching the referee step forward and raising the flag to disqualify Morrison due to forfeit. She then remembered three years ago at Indigo's League Tournament that Ritchie had asked the referee to wait a little while longer for Ash so they could battle.

Morrison then sends out his next Pokemon, Growlithe.

"Go Corphish. Bubblebeam attack!" Ash ordered.

"Dodge it with Agility, Growlithe!" Morrison ordered.

Corphish fires off a barray of glowing bubbles from its claws, but Growlithe moves quickly and the water attack hits the spot where the Fire Pokemon once stood.

"Bubblebeam again, Corphish! Go!"

"Keep dodging with Agility!"

Corphish continues to fire the Bubblebeam, forcing Growlithe to continue running and dodging along the slippy ice field. Growlithe is eventually hit and is sent smashing hard into an upright icicle.

"Corphish, use Crabhammer now!" Ash commanded.

On of Corphish's clawed arms glows white and smashes hard into Growlithe and sends it out for the count.

"Growlithe's pronounced unable to battle!" the referee raised the colored flag for Ash. "Corphish wins!"

"And Morrison loses his second Pokemon!" the announcer said over the partially cheering crowd while Morrison looks sad and frustrated and falls to his knees before his Growlithe.

"Morrison! What's going on with you?! We both know you can battle better than this! Why are you just giving up?" Ash shouts angrily.

"Yeah? Who asked you?" Morrison snapped back.

"If that's how you feel, then you might as well quit right now!" Ash yelled.

"No way!" Morrison yelled back.

"You got Pokemon who depend on you and battle for you!" Ash responded. "But right now you're acting like you don't even care about them!"

"YES I DO!" Morrison cried, holding his Growlithe and appologizing. The fire Pokemon shakes its head and licks it's trainer's face, which Morrison smiles and recalls Growlithe to its Pokeball, then stands up encouragingly. "Look out cause I'm BAAAAAAACK!" he screamed confidently. "Yes! You want it, I'll give you a battle, man!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Ash said happily.

"It looks like Morrison's back in the battle now." Tyson grinned.

"That's good," Brock said while Angelina sighed in relief.

"Bout time." Max and Christina agreed.

"Yeah," May smiled, the other just nodded. "So let's get this going!"

After a tough battle of two rivals and friends, one of which struggling to overcome his frustration and confusion over facing the other, Ash has emerged the victor.

Later that night after dinner, the gang stands in the lobby of the Pokemon Center and stare at the screen that showed the latest match-ups. They were in shock to see Ash vs. Tyson; and then Angelina vs. Danielle.

"Well, it was bound to happen eventually." Tyson said confidently. "What do you say, Ash? Let's make this a battle neither one of us will forget."

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "Let's give it everything we've got."

Both trainers shake hands, Angelina smiled at this, "Good luck, guys. I'd watch, but my match will probably be the same time as yours."

"Geas Angel, you were freakin' when you found out about your battle with Seamus earlier, but now you're not even nervous that you're against me," Dani offered amusedly. "What gives?"

"This is our first battle in many years that we've trained Pokemon, and I don't want our friendship ruined over a tournament battle," Angelina explained.

"All right, and may the best trainer win." Dani said, and both friends shook hands.

The following day, Angelina and Dani begin their long awaited face off along with Ash and Tyson's. While both matches are sure to be crowd pleasers, only two of the four skillful trainers will emerge from the battles victorious and reach the final four.

To Be Continued

I only taped half of the episode, starting where Morrison screams, so that's what I took most of the quotes from. But I surprise you readers by mentioning that Seamus and Dani also participate in the tournament. Next chapter will be updated soon. Thanks for reading! Comments welcomed!


	58. Top Eight Showdown

Thanks for the review! I'm back with the next chapter; it takes place during the episode _**'At The End Of The Fray'**_. I don't own anything from Pokemon except my own characters. Enjoy!

**Chapter 58: Top Eight Showdown**

In order to make it to the final four in the Hoenn League Championships, Angelina must defeat her friend Danielle, so during their battle the next day, after three of their Pokemon were eliminated each, both Blaziken and Charizard lay on the ground inside a stadium trying to catch their breath after Blaziken had use Counter Attack against Charizard's Seismic Toss. They started to get up slowly. As Blaziken turned round, Angelina saw the chance to finish him off.

"Charcoal!" Angelina cried. "Mega Punch attack!"

"Dodge it, Blaziken!" Dani yelled.

Charizard ran at Blaziken to punch him in the face, but Blaziken ducked it.

"Blaze Kick now!" Dani yelled.

Blaziken spun round and gave Charizard a flaming roundhouse kick to the face. The impact was so hard that most of the audience members felt it. Charizard felt dizzy as he fell on his front. He was down… and out!

"Charizard is no longer able to battle! Blaziken wins!" the referee announced.

"You did your best." Angelina smiled as she took out a Pokeball. "Charcoal, return!" then placed the Pokeball onto her belt.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**I'm walkin' down this endless highway  
With nothin' but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced Battle is the ultimate test**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky**_  
_**We can never win, but they sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

"You're up, Chocolate!" Angelina said to the electric mouse on the ground.

"Pika!" Chocolate cried in return as she ran onto the field.

Dani looked over at her Blaziken with concern as the Pokemon was still feeling great pains in his gut. "Blaziken, do you want to battle Pikachu?"

Blaziken turned his head to Dani and nodded.

"Chocolate!" Angelina cried. "Thundershock attack!"

Chocolate leapt into the air and gave massive cry as a bolt lightning was shot out of her body, aiming for Blaziken.

"Dodge it, Blaziken!" Dani cried.

Blaziken was barely able to dodge the attack. If Blaziken's gut wasn't hurting anymore, he would've avoided it more easily.

"Blaziken!" Dani yelled. "Hi Jump Kick!"

Blaziken leapt into the air to perform the attack.

"Chocolate!" Angelina cried. "Thunderbolt!"

Blaziken saw the attack and was about to dodge it, but he suddenly felt the pain in his gut again, distracting him from dodging the attack and making the electric struck him.

"Blaziken!" Dani yelled in a worried tone.

As Blaziken fell on his front, everyone thought that he was knocked out but he struggled to get to his feet and was still holding his gut, trying to stop the pain.

"That Blaziken's not giving up!" Angelina said. "But we're not giving up either, right, Chocolate?"

"Pikachu!" Chocolate cried.

"Blaziken!" Dani yelled as she took out his Pokeball. "Re…."

Blaziken raised his hand to stop her. Dani understood what Blaziken wanted to do. Blaziken wanted to battle strong opponents. Respecting Blaziken's wishes, she decided to let Blaziken to possibly finish the round and the battle.

Angelina noticed what was going on. _**'Even though Dani doesn't want Blaziken to get hurt anymore, she never failed to respect his wishes.'**_

"Chocolate!" Angelina yelled. "Finish him off with a Quick Attack!'

Chocolate yelled out another cry and dashed towards Blaziken.

"Mega Punch attack!" Dani yelled.

Blaziken aimed his punch directly at the Pikachu, but barely missed as Chocolate dodged out of the way and hit Blaziken in injured part of his body. Blaziken staggered backwards as he held his mid-section again.

Chocolate leapt again and spun round to give Blaziken an Iron Tail attack to the face, knocking him down.

Dani gasped in shock.

Blaziken fell on his back. He struggled to pick himself up. "Blazi…." he whispered to himself, which meant "master". Then, he fell unconscious.

"Blaziken is no longer able to battle," yelled the referee. "Pikachu wins!"

"Way to go, Chocolate!" Angelina cried happily.

"Pikachu!" Chocolate cried happily in reply.

Dani recalled her Blaziken and brought out another Pokeball. "Go Beautifly!" she released her next Pokemon, the butterfly-like Pokemon Beautifly.

"C'mon Chocolate! Take a rest!" Angelina yelled. "Return!"

Chocolate did as she was instructed and ran back to her trainer. Angelina took out another Pokeball. "Go Spritz!" she released her aqua-rabbit Pokemon, who appeared in the spot where Blaziken was on the field.

"Spritz, use Defense Curl!"

"Beautifly, use Mega Drain!"

Spritz curled up into a ball to protect itself, but it did nothing to weaken Beautifly's Mega Drain attack. Energy was drained from Spritz, much like an Absorb attack, only twice as powerful. Spritz didn't seem to be hurt too badly by the attack, though.

"Now Spritz, use Rollout!"

"Beautifly, try to hit it with Stun Spore!"

Spritz started spinning rapdily and launched itself towards Beautifly, hitting it before it had a chance to get off its attack. Beautifly fell to the ground and struggled to get back into the air, hurt badly from the attack.

"Beautifly, try to hit it with Stun Spore again!"

"Spritz, roll out of the way!" Beautifly released a cloud of yellowish dust towards Spritz, but Spritz rolled out of the way, gaining speed as it did.

"Beautifly try again!"

Beautifly released another cloud of Stun Spore, but Spritz simply rolled out of the way again, gaining speed as it continued to roll around on the ground. Dani knew she'd be in trouble if she couldn't stop it. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Beautifly, use Stun Spore again then use Gust to spread it around!"

Beautifly unleashed yet another cloud of Stun Spore, which Spritz easily dodged. Beautifly then flapped its wings rapidly, kicking up strong winds and sending the cloud of Stun Spore into Spritz, which stopped rolling and collapsed from paralysis.

"Wow... good call. Spritz, try to finish it off with a Bubblebeam attack!"

"Thanks! Beautifly, use Mega Drain!"

Spritz struggled, but it couldn't seem to get the attack off. It was struck by another Mega Drain attack and seemed to be staggering from both the loss of energy and the paralysis. It then suddenly collapsed, no longer able to fight.

"Azumarill is unable to battle! Beautifly wins!" the referee announced.

Angelina called back her knocked out Azumarill and sends out her last standing Pokemon, her Pikachu.

"Let's start off new, Beautifly! Use Morning Sun!"

Beautifly started to glow white as it absorbed sunlight, healing its wounds.

Angelina smirked. "Chocolate, hit it with Spark!"

Chocoalte charged up electricity around it, then jumped up and hit Beautifly. Beautifly fell down to the ground as it was paralyzed by the attack.

"Beautifly, try to hit it with Stun Spore!"

"Chocolate, use Quick Attack to jump over it!"

Chocolate used Quick Attack, build up its speed as it ran towards Beautifly then jumped straight up into the air to avoid the Stun Spore.

"Now use Thunder, Chocolate!" While still in the air, Chcolate started to charge up her powers and shout out her Thunder at Beautifly.

"Beautifly, get out of the way!" Beautifly tried to move out of the way of Chocolate's attack, but because of the paralysis it couldn't budge. Chocolate came down on top of Beautifly hard, smashing it into the ground and electrocuting it at the same time. Beautifly was down in one hit.

"Beautifly is no longer able to battle!" the referee announced. "Pikachu wins!"

Dani recalled her Beautifly. She was now down to her last Pokemon.

"Your Pikachu doesn't stand a chance against my last Pokemon!" Dani declared, placing Beautifly's Pokeball back on her belt. "Gardevoir, go get her!" she called out, sending out her fully evolved Gardevoir to battle Angelina's Pikachu.

"We'll see about that... Chocolate, use Thunderbolt!"

Electricity sparked from the red circles on Chocolate's cheeks as it prepared to attack, it then fired a powerful bolt of electricity towards Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, use Teleport!"

Gardevoir vanished just before the lightning bolt struck it, reappearing behind Chocolate. The lightning bolt struck the floor near where Gardevoir was standing with no effect.

"Now, use Psychic!"

Gardevoir's eyes flashed momentarily as it unleashed a psychic attack towards Chocolate. The attack struck Chocolate from behind, sending it flying forward. Chocolate quickly recovered from the attack, however, planting its hand on the ground as it was knocked back several feet and doing a flip in the air to land and face Dani's Gardevoir.

"Looks like Thunderbolt isn't going to work..." Angelina muttered. "All right then... Chocolate, use Quick Attack!"

Chocolate charged towards Gardevoir on all fours, then became a yellow blur of movement when it got close enough to use its Quick Attack and striking Gardevoir before it'd have a chance to Teleport away.

"You can't expect to beat my Gardevoir with that attack, Angel!" Dani said to her. "Gardevoir, use Teleport!"

"Maybe not... but with this strategy I can! Chocolate, use Charge and keep at it! Then use Thunderbolt when Gardevoir stops teleporting!"

Dani gasped as she realized her Gardevoir was now trapped. It continued to teleport around the field, and Dani couldn't give it further commands until it was too late.

Chocolate began charging up electricity for its next attack. Sparks erupted from its cheeks, and as it continued to focus electricity its entire body became covered in sparks. Electricity continued to crackle around it while Gardevoir teleported around the gym randomly. Chocolate built up immense power for its attack, and electricity arced in a radius around it as it charged up.

When Gardevoir finally stopped teleporting and appeared in front of Dani, Chocolate was ready for it and unleashed all of the built up electricity in a powerful Thunderbolt attack. It fired several large bolts of electricity towards the unsuspecting Gardevoir, and each bolt struck it at the same time sending huge amounts of electricity coursing through its body. Gardevoir's eyes widened as it was electrocuted badly, and when the electricity finally decapitated, Gardevoir was scorched from head to toe. It collapsed onto the floor, looking as stiff as a statue. Dani looked on in horror as her Gardevoir was brought down by the powerful electric attack.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" the referee declared. "The victory of this match goes to Angelina!"

With that announced, the crowd went wild and they got from their seats and on their feet.

"Gardevoir... no..." Dani collapsed to her knees, staring at her Gardevoir's unconscious and scorched form lying on the field's ground. She stood up and recalled the Pokemon, then stared at the Pokeball. "You're one of my strongest Pokemon... we lost, but I am so proud of you and the others." She placed the Pokeball onto her belt and walked over to Angelina, whom was happily hugging her Pikachu. "This was one great match."

"I agree," Angelina replied, embracing her friend in a hug. "I will never ever forget it. And speaking of, we better head over to the next stadium to watch Ash and Tyson."

While Amber and Christina were still attending Jeremy's match, Seamus joined Dani and Angelina over at another stadium where Ash and Tyson were in a heated battle with their last and final Pokemon: Meowth and Pikachu. The three friends sat down not too far away from Team Rocket's Meowth, whom occupied a seat for itself. They were awestruck when Tyson's Meowth and Ash's Pikachu launched Thunderbolts at the same time that formed a spiraling funnel of electricity in the middle of the field.

"It's another electric exchange, and the stadium lights up as these two crackle and collide!" the announcer informed.

"Let's wrap this up! Iron Tail, let's go!" Ash ordered.

"Quick Meowth, Iron Tail, too!" Tyson said.

Both Meowth and Pikachu jump into the air with their tails glowing white; Pikachu is struck on the head while Meowth is hit in the stomach.

"Unbelievable!" the announcer exclaimed. "Both sides have taken direct hits!" then, Meowth and Pikachu fall back into the rocks of the battlefield lying motionless. "And both Pokemon are down for the count!"

"Get up, you can do it!" Angelina yelled along with her friends for both Pokemon, whom were also being encouraged by their trainers.

Slowly, both Pokemon rose to their hind legs; panting in exhaustion.

"They're on their feet. Through sheer determination, they found their strength to stay in it!" the announcer explained. "Either side wants this final battle to end, but only one will be the winner. Who will it be?"

Suddenly, as if time were standing still to all those in the stadium, Tyson's Meowth begins to fall.

"NO DON'T!" Angelina screamed, but then Ash's Pikachu slumps to the ground before Meowth does and is unable to get up.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Meowth's the winner! The victory goes to Tyson!" the referee declared.

"He does it! After a fierce standoff, Tyson and Meowth flinch it! Tyson will proceed to the final four!" the announcer roared over the screaming crowd.

Angelina watched her brother hold his fallen Pokemon and was approached by Tyson and Meowth, she smiled when the two trainers shook hands. "Ya know what, guys?" she turned to Dani and Seamus. "I don't think it matters to them who won or lost, they're both proud for having a good battle."

"Yeah," Dani nodded. "We did too."

"Besides, the battles will probably be shown on TV later," Seamus added. "And speaking of, we should find out how Jeremy did in his match."

They reached the third stadium in time to watch Jeremy and his opponent, Frieda (from Mossdeep City); both trainers were down to their final Pokemon: Nidoking versus Scyther.

"Scyther, Swords Dance and Cut attack!"

Scyther spun round as he dashed towards Nidoking like a small tornado.

"Nidoking!" Jeremy yelled. "Jump over it!"

Nidoking attempted to jump over Scyther's Sword Dance and Cut combo, but then Frieda had another attack in her mind.

"Scyther!" Frieda cried. "Sandstorm now!"

Scyther spun faster and faster and the huge tornado was picked up and caught Nidoking. He was taken by surprise as he spun round and round.

'_**Shoot!'**_ Jeremy thought as he was surprised by that move as well.

Nidoking's face turned from being surprised to being dizzy and nauseous.

"Scyther!" Frieda ordered. "Stop the attack!"

Scyther stopped spinning and looked up. As Nidoking fell down, everyone thought that Nidoking was knocked out by the Sandstorm.

"It looks like Nidoking's out," Christina said sadly.

But to everyone's surprise, Nidoking retaliated from his dizziness as he spun round and instinctively aimed his Stomp attack on Scyther.

"Scyther, dodge!" Frieda ordered.

Scyther barely moved out of harm's way as Nidoking's feet landed on the ground, making a huge crack.

"Looks like Nidoking's not out yet," Jeremy said confidently.

Nidoking gave a nasty growl to his opponent.

"Scyther! Swift attack!" Frieda commanded.

Scyther leapt into the air and quickly spread out his scythes as he shot out tons of energy fireballs that looked like stars.

"A Swift attack," Jeremy commented confidently. "A move that never misses…. And neither does this! Nidoking! Counter attack!"

Nidoking swung his tail round to bounce the Swift attack back at Scyther. He tried to dodge the attack, but it was no use.

As Scyther fell to the ground, Nidoking gave a loud roar. Jeremy noticed what his Pokemon wanted to do at that very moment.

"Nidoking!" Jeremy shouted. "Thrash attack!"

Nidoking tackled Scyther to the ground and began pummeling it like a punching bag.

"Now finish it off with your Mega Punch attack!"

Nidoking lifted his right arm and punched his opponent right in the face, knocking him out. The punch was so hard, that it made most of the audience hurt.

"Scyther is no longer able to battle!" the referee cried. "Nidoking wins! The victory goes to Jeremy!"

The crowd went wild as they gave a deafening cheer as they stood up. Both trainers recalled their Pokemon and met in the middle of the battlefield to shake hands. Angelina watched in determination, two people she knew were now in the final four with her. She predicted that if facing either one, it would be a heavy and great battle.

To Be Continued

So Dani, Ash, and Frieda placed in the Top 8, while Angelina continues into the final four with Tyson and Jeremy along with another trainer. Thanks for reading, I shall return with the next chapter! Comments welcomed!


	59. Final Four Results

Well its nice that I get a couple good reviews, thanks! So here's the next chapter, not based on an episode nor do I own Pokemon except my own characters and ideas. Enjoy!

**Chapter 59: Final Four Results**

"Feraligatr, Focus Punch!"

"Feather, Sky Attack!"

Last time during the Hoenn League Championships: Ash, Danielle, and Frieda were defeated while Angelina, Jeremy, and Tyson could continue into the final four. While Ash and his gang attend Tyson's battle against a male trainer named David from Fallarbor Town, Angelina faces her best friend Jeremy in a six-on-six battle; both trainers are down to two Pokemon each while their friends cheer them on from the stands.

Jeremy's Feraligatr ducked down as he charged up the remaining of his energies while Angelina's Swellow flew up high. Swellow dived directly down at Feraligatr with the speed of a meteor while he and Black Jack waited for the right moment to attack. As Swellow dived down, he felt a scorching heat surrounding him.

"Brace yourself, Feraligatr…." Jeremy said as he waited. "NOW!"

Feraligatr gave a huge mighty swing at Swellow. When the two collided, there was an explosive impact, which almost reached Jeremy and Angelina. Everyone protected their eyes from the bright light of the explosion.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**  
I'm walkin' down this endless highway  
With nothin' but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced Battle is the ultimate test**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky**_  
_**We can never win, but they sure can try**_

_**  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**  
From the stars and the ancient past  
They come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**  
Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

As the dust of the explosion cleared, both Pokemon lay unconscious; both Pokemon also had burnt and bruised marks on almost every part of their bodies.

"Both Pokemon are no longer able to battle!" the referee announced.

Angelina gasped in concern, "Oh Feather!" she ran out onto the field to check on her Pokemon while Jeremy did the same with his. Her Swellow came around and smiled. "Well I'm glad you're okay, thank you." she recalled the Pokemon and returned to her side of the field.

"Don't worry; it'll grow back in a day." Jeremy assured with a smiled, his Feraligatr had lost a tooth. "All right, get inside now. Be happy you did your best and I'm proud of you." He said after the Pokemon was inside its Pokeball.

"While this has been an exciting and thrilling battle, both trainers are now down to their last Pokemon!" the announcer said over the cheering crowd. "Hang onto your seats, folks! The outcome of this round will lead either Jeremy or Angelina into the Champion Finale!"

"C'mon Jer, we haven't got all day," Angelina said.

Jeremy looked out at his best friend, their eyes locked with determination. "Yeah I know, but this battle's far from over!" he grinned and tossed out a new Pokeball. "Go Typhlosion!" the white light produced the flame-maned and powerful mouse Pokemon.

Angelina smirked, "Let's go, Charcoal!" she yelled out as she tossed her Charizard's Pokéball and the giant Fire/Flying Pokémon landed on the ground with a roar.

"It's Jeremy Typhlosion against Angelina's Charizard!" the announcer informed. "They're fighting fire with fire, but which Pokemon will come out on top?"

_**  
'Well it's about time! I was looking for a good fight!'**_ Charcoal said as he tried to intimidate the Typhlosion with a powerful Flamethrower.

Instead, Typhlosion attacked Charcoal with Fury Swipes. Then, the Fire Pokémon used Dizzy Punch on Charcoal, nearly knocking Angelina's powerful Pokémon out with one punch. Charcoal shook out the cobwebs and caught Typhlosion's Fire Punch.

"All right, Charcoal! Use Submission!!" Angelina said.

Charcoal started to pull hard on Typhlosion's arm, but the Fire Pokémon used Smokescreen to get out of Charcoal's hold. Seconds later, Typhlosion used Dynamic Punch and Charcoal went face first to the ground after the devastating hit, he became confused.

"Way to go, Typhlosion!" Jeremy yelled out cheerfully as

Typhlosion gloated a bit, watching Charcoal stumble around.

_**  
'Come on, Angelina! I can take all of them on! It's only 10,000 of them!'**_ Charcoal said dazed as he moved around like a drunken marionette.

"This doesn't look good." Angelina said as she watched her Charizard slash around himself in a dizzy rage. Typhlosion decided to end this and used another Dizzy Punch on Charcoal.

_**  
'Not this time!'**_ Charcoal said as shook off the dizziness and sidestepped the punch, kicking Typhlosion hard in the stomach.

The Fire Pokémon recovered from that hit and soon, the two giant Pokémon were going at it like hockey players. Both Charcoal and Typhlosion both nailed each other with devastating right hand punches in a contest to see which Pokémon would be left standing.

All signs pointed to Typhlosion, but Charcoal put the evolved form of Cyndaquil to the ground, talking about some pretty stars.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! Charizard wins!" the referee declared over the screaming and applauding crowd. "The victory goes to Angelina!"

"We did it, Charcoal!" Angelina cried happily, running out onto the field and hugging her Charizard while the announcer boomed that she was now placed into the Champion round. "Thank you so much!"

Jeremy recalled his Typhlosion and walked out onto the field. "Hey Angel, we couldn't of had a better match. Congrats and good luck in the final." He said, holding out his hand.

Angelina smiled, shaking hands. "Thanks, Jer. I won't forget this battle either." She then recalled her flying/fire Pokemon. "I wonder how Tyson's doing?"

"Why don't we find the others and head on over to watch?" Jeremy suggested.

"Okay," Angelina nodded.

After meeting up and receiving congrats from Dani, Seamus, Amber, and Christina, the group of friends walked over to the other stadium where Ash and friends were cheering on Tyson as he and his opponent were both down to their last Pokemon.

"Espeon, Psychic!" David commanded.

"Donphan, Rollout!" Tyson ordered.

As soon as Donphan curled up into a tight ball and speedily rolled towards Espeon, Espeon shot a blast of psychic energy from her forehead, engulfing Donphan inside a blue glow. Even though Donphan was not moving anywhere anymore, he kept of spinning rapidly in his ball formation. Espeon winced as Donphan continued to spin, faster and faster with each second going by. Throwing her head to the left, Espeon sent Donphan smashing into a large mound of ice, but even then did Donphan not even slow down the slightest bit. Glancing all over the battle field and trembling in agony from Donphan's struggles against her psychic will, Espeon sent the ball-Donphan smashing and slamming all over the battle field. When she could continue no longer, Espeon took a deep gasp of air and collapsed to her knees, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

That released the furiously spinning Donphan and left him to drop onto the ground. As soon as Donphan's armor-like hide hit the icy ground, he took off like a lightning bolt straight for Espeon. Espeon still had her eyes closed when Donphan viciously smashed into her, knocking her off the battle field and into the arena walls behind David.

"Espeon is unable to battle, Donphan wins!" the referee declared.  
"The victory goes to Tyson!"

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! David is defeated and Tyson Rylie is now placed into the grand final of the Hoenn League Championships with Angelina Murakami! This grand final will begin tomorrow afternoon! So finalists either rest up or train hard! Everyone wants you guys in top form for your battle!"

"I'm fine, okay? Change the subject already, please!" Angelina yelled at her friends later that evening.

They were eating dinner and Angelina wouldn't be left alone that she was battling Tyson the next day. She knew he was a good trainer and had strong Pokemon, but she didn't need reminded of how far they both had come during the tournament.

Later on during the night well after everyone retired to the Pokemon Center, Angelina was tossing and turning in her bed...

_**  
**__**DREAM**___

_**Angelina found herself walking through the forest with her Pikachu and Azumarill.**_

_**  
They walked out into a clearing where the lake was calm and serene. Tyson was nearby with his team of Pokemon: Meowth, Metagross, Donphan, Sceptile, Shiftry, and Hariyama. Angelina blushed at the sight of the trainer, sitting down on the ground and stared up at the star-lit sky while she was humming a random song.**_

"_**Can you sing, Angelina?"**_

_**The girl gasped and quickly got off the ground, startled that Tyson was now standing in front of her. **_

"_**Oh... yeah, I do. Didn't you come to watch my concert the other night?"**_

"_**Hold on, you're Crystalline?" Tyson asked in surprise, then grins, "Guess Jeremy wasn't lying when he said that a pretty pop-singer got kidnapped by Team Rocket."**_

_**Angelina narrowed her eyes annoyedly, "I hope that's all he told you or I'll-" she said, slowly clenching her hands into fists at her sides.**_

"_**About what? There's more?" Tyson stared curiously.**_

_**Angelina's face turned slightly red, "I, well… It's really nothing important. Why would there be?" she laughed nervously.**_

_**Chocolate and Spritz sweatdropped, but they knew something was going on between their trainer and her friend. They watched curiously until approached by Tyson's Meowth.**_

_**(("Hello, ladies,")) said Meowth, bowing to the females with his hat off.**_

_**(("Since when are you the gentleman,")) Chocolate smirked, then nudged a slightly dazed Spritz. (("He's trying to impress someone."))**_

_**(("I guess,")) the Azumarill agreed, blushing.**_

_**Meowth glanced up at Tyson talking to Angelina, whom was blushing. (("Your trainer's very smitten with mine."))**_

_**(("Why am I not surprised?")) Chocolate sighed, rolling her eyes. (("It's been so obvious since Angel first met Tyson during Christmas."))**_

_**(("They're not the only ones,")) Spritz added, still blushing as Meowth smiled and took her paw gently into his own. (("I'm so glad this isn't a dream."))**_

_**Chocolate shook her head embarrassingly, (("You wish, but I'm sorry to say it is."))**_

"_**What do you mean it's not real?" Angelina asked upsetly. She and Tyson were talking about the tournament, how he was training for next battle and he quickly changed the subject. "Why?"**_

"_**You have to wake up," Tyson said. "Your match starts in an hour."**_

_**END DREAM**___

"WHAT? IT'S THAT LATE?!" Angelina yelled, and her eyes met with morning light that changed her surroundings to the deluxe suite she shared with her best friends. She was sitting up in bed wearing her pajamas while Dani and Amber were already dressed.

"You okay, Angel?" Dani asked, worried about her best friend.

"What kinda dream did you have?"

"Can't say, no time," Angelina said, jumping out of bed and searching through her armoire for new clothes. "Ah-ha, there you are!" she pulled out a medium-sized box along with her make-up bag, then quickly ran for the bathroom. "Meet you at the stadium, don't wait up!"

Dani and Amber shared curious expressions while Christina looked confused as she was bottle-feeding her Togepi. They didn't question their friend and left the bedroom, taking the guys with them and walking over to the stadium. They were greeted with fireworks exploding in the sky.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the grand final of the Hoenn League Championships! We are in for a stunning display of Pokemon battling!" the announcer told the audience as they waited patiently for the finalists.

Tyson came out of the entrance and made his way up the steps toward his respective box of the battle field.

"Introducing first, from Mauville City…. Tyson Rylie!" the announcer informed, then Angelina made her way out and into her box. "And his opponent from Pallet Town, Angelina Murakami!"

Almost everyone who Tyson and Angelina have met and known were there as part as the audience. Most noticeably were Ash, Brock, Max, May, Morrison, Jeremy, Dani, Seamus, Amber, and Christina. Half the audience was cheering for Tyson, while the other half were cheering for Angelina.

"Well its no wonder Angel said not to wait up," Jeremy chuckled, pointing at his best friend and the guys craned their necks to get a better look.

Angelina rolled her eyes and shook her head at the sounds of catcalls and whistles from around the whole stadium. She wore a sleeveless white dress that hugged all the right curves of her body making her look like a model, and her hair was down in soft waves. On her feet were white sandals, a clear-colored belt looped around her waist holding her Pokeballs, and around her neck was a gold chain with a tear-shaped crystal on the end with a small rose-shaped ruby in the center.

"I'm not taking it easy on you just because we know each other." Tyson said, bringing out a Pokeball.

"You don't have to so don't worry," Angelina smiled. "And may the best trainer win." she said and enlarged her own Pokeball.

Now that Tyson and Angelina's battle begins, their friends watch from the stands and watch in hope of whom will reign over the Hoenn League Tournament. Will it be Tyson and his powerhouse team of Pokemon or Angelina and her mighty Pokemon squad? Keep reading to find out!

To Be Continued

A lot has happened in this chapter! Angelina and Tyson defeat their opponents in the final four and are now up against each other. Then Angelina has a dream about Tyson and their Pokemon talking before she wakes up. Thanks for reading, comments are welcomed! I shall have the next chapter up very soon! Happy Fourth of July!


	60. Championship Outcome

Thanks for the reviews and I'm back again with the next chapter! The ending (minus my quotes) was taken right from the episode _**'At The End of The Fray'**_, but the rest was all my ideas. I don't own Pokemon except what I own. Enjoy!

**Chapter 63: Championship Outcome**

Last time, Angelina and Tyson defeated their opponents in the final four and now face each other in a six-on-six battle to see who will be the Champion of Hoenn's Tournament. Angelina's Golem was knocked out by Tyson's Donphan while his Meowth had fallen victim to Angelina's Azumarill _**(think back to the dream in the previous chapter and then you'll understand)**_. This now leaves Tyson and Angelina both with five Pokemon each remaining.

"Feather, I choose you!" Angelina called out, releasing her Swellow onto the battlefield to take on Tyson's Donphan. On the displays, a slot lit up with a picture of Swellow next to Angelina's image.

"Donphan, attack with Rollout!"

"Feather, block it with Steel Wing!"

Tyson's Donphan curled up and took off rolling across the field, picking up speed as it raced towards Angelina's Swellow. Rather than taking off to avoid the attack, Swellow held its wings in front of it defensively. The wings gained a metallic-like appearance just before Donphan collided with Swellow, blocking Donphan's attack with its Steel Wing technique. Donphan jumped back and uncurled, landing flat on its feet.

"Donphan, use Double-Edge!"

Donphan rushed towards and threw itself into Swellow hard, tackling it to the ground and pinning it down.

"Feather, knock it off with a Steel Wing then take off!"

Swellow's wings took on a metallic appearance again and it raised one of them quickly to smack Donphan in the side, sending it rolling off itself. Swellow quickly got to its feet while Donphan was still recovering and began flapping its wings, taking off from the ground to gain an aerial advantage over its opponent.

"Now, Feather! Attack with Aerial Ace!"

Swellow swiftly dove towards Donphan, gaining speed in its dive. It then vanished into a blur with a sudden burst of speed to strike Donphan hard in the side with its beak. Donphan was knocked onto its side but quickly jumped back to its feet. Swellow was already gaining altitude again by the time Swellow got back up.

_**"Only way we can bring that Swellow down now is with a strong ranged attack...." **_Tyson thought to himself. _**"Well we have that covered!"**_

"Donphan, attack Swellow with Hyper Beam!"

"Hyper Beam?!" Angelina gasped in surprise. "Feather, watch out! Circle around so it can't get a good shot!"

Swellow began flying around in circles above while distancing itself from Donphan. Donphan followed Swellow's movements until it was finally comfortable with attacking and raised its trunk to fire a massive beam of energy. Swellow moved to dodge, but the Hyper Beam attack still landed a glancing blow on its right wing and sent Swellow spiralling to the ground and crashing head first.

"Feather! Can you still fly?" Angelina called out to her Pokemon. Swellow slowly picked itself up and flapped its wing experimentally, then nodded to Angelina affirmatively. Angelina breathed a sigh of relief. Swellow was still fully capable of fighting back, but now Donphan needed time to rest after using its Hyper Beam technique.

"Feather, now! Attack Donphan with Steel Wing while its disabled!" Swellow flapped its wings, slowly at first as it was a bit sore from taking the Hyper Beam attack. It then finally managed to lift itself up and took off, skimming across the ground towards Donphan. The ground-type pokemon was helpless to do anything but watch as Swellow flew towards it, still resting to regain its energy.

Swellows wings took on a metallic appearance as it approached Donphan. Swellow then flew beside Donphan while striking it with its left wing. Donphan was sent rolling backwards, smashing into the wall of the stadium. The wall shuddered with the impact but remained strong. The impact was enough to finish Donphan off, however. It collapsed to the ground after the impact, completely unconcious.

"Donphan, return!" Tyson called out as he recalled the Pokemon. Donphan's picture on the display faded, signifying that it had been knocked out. Tyson looked across the field at Angelina with a slight smile on his face. "Not bad, Angelina! You won't take down my next pokemon so easily!"

"Really now?" Angelina smiled back, the wind blew a little at her hair and dress making her look irresistable. "We'll just have to see about that."

"Whoa.... I mean, yeah," Tyson's face was a bit red as he stared, but shook his head and grew serious again as he returned his attention to the battle and drew another Pokeball. "Shiftry, go!" he called out the dark-and-grass type Pokemon onto the battlefield. Shiftry's picture appeared below Donphan's on the scoreboard.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**I'm walkin' down this endless highway  
With nothin' but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced Battle is the ultimate test**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky**_  
_**We can never win, but they sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable **_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

"Shiftry, use your Hyper Beam!"

"Feather, take to the sky with Fly!"

Shiftry opened its mouth and unleashed its a goldish-white beam out toward Swellow, who spread out its wings and evaded Shiftry's oncoming Hyper Beam.

"Fine then," Tyson said. "If that's how you want to play.... Shiftry, take Swellow out with Shadow Ball!"

Shiftry held its leafed-finger hands toward each other to form a gap in-between them, forming a shadowy spark that grew within its hands in the form of a black sphere and then shot it out toward Swellow with black and purple electricity crackling around it.

"Feather, dodge it and get ready with a Sky Attack!"

Swellow easily swerved out of the way of Shiftry's attack and began circling around it above, focusing sharply on Shiftry in preparation to attack.

"Shiftry, Whirlwind attack!"

Swellow began to glow in a fiery aura and took flight while Shiftry also began to glow and created powerful swirling winds.

"Sky Attack/Razor Wind!" Angelina and Tyson shouted.

It was as if everything was in slow motion. Swellow dived for Shiftry violently. Shiftry then released the whirlwinds at Swellow with one sharp swing of its fans. Then, a cloud of dust covered the arena, but when the dust cleared both Swellow and Shiftry were still up, panting. Suddenly, Swellow sagged slightly while Shiftry collapsed.

"Both Shiftry and Swellow are unable to battle!" the referee announced.

Tyson and Angelina recalled their Pokemon, thanking them for a good battle.

"Hariyama, go!" Tyson released his next Pokemon, a fighting-type bearing a similarity to a sumo wrestler appeared on the field and pounded its chest.

"Forest, I choose you!" Angelina called upon her grass-type Ivysaur that had a blue body, red eyes, and a mid-bloomed flower growing on its back.

"Hariyama, start off with Tackle!"

Hariyama immediately began charging towards Ivysaur, or at least moving as fast as its legs could carry its bulky body across the rocky terrain. Then gave one strong leap into the air, putting all of its muscle into the jump.

"Tackle?" Angelina thought out loud. "I dunno what's he hoping to do with that.... Forest, jump back and use Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur quickly jumped backwards ad the flower on its back suddenly spat out a pair of leaves and sliced across Hariyama's body as it came down towards where Ivysaur had been previously standing, but Hariyama hardly took notice of them. It landed in front of Ivysaur with a tremendous impact.

"Hariyama, grab it!" Upon Tyson's request, Hariyama reached out and wrapped its large hand around Ivysaur's body. "Now! Vital Throw!"

Hariyama raised its hand back to throw Ivysaur, holding it upside-down above it and threw it straight into the ground hard as the grass pokemon cried out with the sharp impact.

"Hariyama, attack with Vital Throw again!"

"Forest, quick! Use Razor Leaf!"

Just before Hariyama could grab Bellossom the grass pokemon fired off several sharp leaves from its flower at Hariyama. Again, the attack did very little to deter the bulky fighting pokemon as it grabbed Ivysaur. It raised Ivysaur above its head then slammed him into the ground with even more force than the last attack. Ivysaur's body hitting the rocky ground sounded like a hard slap combined with Ivysaur's pained cry. Ivysaur was slow to get back to its feet after such an attack, but Hariyama also looked to be getting quite fatigued by now.

_**"Come on, Forest! Just hang in there!" **_Angelina mentally urged her pokemon on. "Forest, once more! Razor Leaf!"

"Hariyama, finish it with Arm Thrust!" Tyson called out quickly.

Ivysaur shot out a few sharp leaves before Hariyama connected its first hit, cutting a clean gash into his shoulder. Hariyama thrust its right arm forward, hitting Ivysaur with an open-palm attack. It followed up with its left arm, then right again, and then one final hit with its left arm. Ivysaur yelled and moaned from the attacks while Hariyama winced as the wound on his shoulder began to bleed.

"Forest," Angelina commanded. "Use Take Down!"

Ivysaur suddenly bucked his head forward, smashing into Hariyama's chest. Hariyama stumbled backwards, and was lying flat on his back moaning weakly.

"Hariyama is unable to battle, Ivysaur wins!" the referee said, holding up Angelina's green flag.

Tyson recalled his Hariyama then returned the Pokeball to his belt and took out another Pokeball. "Go, Metagross!"

The Psychic/Steel Pokemon came out of his Pokeball ready for battle. Angelina quickly wiped out her Pokedex.

'_**Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokemon,'**_ Dexette informed. _**'It has four brains in total. Combined, the four brains can breeze through difficult calculations faster than a supercomputer. This Pokemon can float in the air by tucking in it's four legs.'**_

"Okay. Forest, return!" Angelina yelled as she took out the Pokeball and her Ivysaur went inside. She then took out another Pokeball and tossed it out. "Charcoal, go!"

Charizard came out of his Pokeball and let out a loud roar.

"All right, Charcoal!" Angelina yelled. "Flamethrower attack!"

Charizard aimed and shot out a lick of flame out of his mouth at the Iron Leg Pokemon.

"Metagross!" Tyson yelled. "Counter with Mirror Coat!"

Metagross glowed vigorously and the fire attack bounced away from and was coming back at Charizard.

"Charcoal, dodge!" Angelina yelled.

Charizard barely dodged out of the way as it flew high into the air.

"Angelina, look out!" Dani cried as the flame attack was coming at her friend.

Luckily, Angelina dodged out of the way.

"Oh wow!" Christina said. "I thought Lina was a goner there."

"I was worried too," Dani added. "Angelina has got herself seriously hurt at times."

"Charcoal!" Angelina yelled. "Knock Metagross down with your Headbutt attack!"

Charizard did as he was instructed and dived straight down at Metagross like a speeding bullet that was shot out like a gun.

'_**Why would Angelina command her Charizard to use an attack that wouldn't do much to Metagross?'**_ Jeremy thought. _**'Unless….'**_

"Aim for the leg!" Angelina yelled.

"Dodge to your right, Metagross!" Tyson countered.

Charizard barely missed one of Metagross's legs as it dodged out of the way.

"Now Metagross! Give that Charizard a Headbutt of your own!" Tyson ordered.

Charizard turned around in mid-air and attempted another Headbutt. But as he dived down, Metagross leapt into the air and headbutted him in the face.

"Great job!" Tyson shouted. "Finish with Psybeam attack!"

"No!" Angelina yelled.

Metagross safely landed on the ground, which caused a small earthquake. It then aimed its eyes at Charizard and shot his two multi-colored beams out of them. The attack hit Charizard, knocking him out. Charizard fell hard on the ground.

Angelina ran over to her defeated Pokemon. "Charcoal! No!" she cried worryingly. "Are you okay?"

Charizard let out a small growl, but wasn't able to move because of the damage Metagross caused.

"Charizard is no longer able to battle! Metagross wins!" the referee cried, holding up Tyson's red flag.

Angelina took out her Pokeball and got her Charizard to return. She now had three Pokemon remaining: Azumarill, Pikachu, and Ivysaur.

Angelina took out the Pokeball that contained her Ivysaur. "Forest, go!" the Seed Pokemon came out prepared for battle. "Okay Forest, Tackle attack!"

"Metagross! Headbutt attack!" Tyson yelled.

Metagross and Ivysaur ran at each other at their highest speeds. Metagross lowered its head, attempting to give Ivysaur his attack. But the Seed Pokemon ducked and tackled one of Metagross's legs, tripping him over. Metagross landed on his back, unable to move physically.

"Metagross!" Tyson yelled. "Use your psychic powers to get back on your feet!"

Metagross summoned up his psychic powers and slowly floated into the air. It turned itself sideways and landed on its feet.

'_**I outta catch me a Metagross,'**_ Angelina thought.

"Forest, Tackle it again!" Angelina commanded.

Ivysaur leapt into the air and tackled Metagross in the face with its body. Metagross staggered backwards.

"Metagross, shoot out your Psybeam!" Tyson ordered.

Metagross shot out multi-colored beams from its eyes at Ivysaur.

"Forest, Solar Beam!" Angelina yelled.

The sun was shining through the clouds, and Ivysaur shot out a silver-green beam from its flower. The attacks collided and both Pokemon had to push their powers to their limits. It was quite a struggle for both Pokemon but Ivysaur lost it as the psychic beam caught him, causing static around his body and knocking him out.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle! Metagross wins!" the referee announced, holding up the red flag again.

Angelina called back her knocked out Ivysaur and tossed out a rhine-stone studded Pokeball that revealed her Pikachu.

Jeremy unfolded his arms and pressed his hands on his knees, he leaned slightly forward and smiled.

"What is it, Jeremy?" Amber asked.

"I think mother nature has something planned for Tyson," Jeremy replied.

A small drop of rain fell on the field. Suddenly, it began to rain. Some people in the audience opened up their umbrellas while others covered their heads with books, bags, newspapers or hands, etc. Jeremy took no notice of the rain as he continued focusing on the match.

The rain also surprised Tyson and the Pokemon, but especially Angelina since she was wearing a white dress. Regardless of the bad weather, they decided to continue.

"Metagross, Meteor Mash!" Tyson yelled.

Metagross quickly glowed vigorously as he started floating into the air. Its front legs aimed at Chocolate as he charged like a Rhydon.

"Chocolate! Dodge!" Angelina shouted. Her Pikachu leapt into the air to dodge the attack and landed on top of Metagross.

'_**No!'**_ Tyson thought in shock. _**'If Pikachu uses an electric attack, Metagross will be knocked out because of the rain!'**_

"Chocolate!" Angelina yelled. "Thunder now!"

"Metagross, shake it off!" Tyson shouted.

Metagross, still airborne, was zipping through the skies trying to shake off Angelina's Pikachu while the yellow rodent was hanging onto it for dear life. Metagross finally shook off Chocolate, and the electric mouse was now falling at a great height.

"CHOCOLATE!" Angelina cried in shock.

The Pikachu retaliated as she charged up her powers and shot out her Thunder attack at Metagross, electrocuting it. Chocolate safely landed on her feet while Metagross fell hard on the ground. As Chocolate landed, she was breathing heavily, feeling worn out after giving out her most powerful attack, which was enough to knock Metagross out.

"Metagross is no longer able to battle, Pikachu wins!" the referee announced, holding up Angelina's red flag as the crowd went wild.

"Well folks, Tyson is down to his last Pokemon while Angelina still has two. Will he be able to earn back the advantage his opponent now holds over him? What will he choose as his final Pokemon?" said the commentator over the loud speakers.

While Tyson called back his Metagross, dark clouds began to float away as the sun started to shine. "Go Sceptile!" he threw out a Pokeball that opened up and released the Forest Pokemon, who landed nimbly on the battlefield and stared down his opponent.

"A Sceptile, huh? My Pikachu can handle that," Angelina smirked as her electric Pokemon jumped back onto the field.

"Then we shall see," Tyson grinned. "Sceptile, start off with Leaf Blade!"

"Chocolate, dodge with Quick Attack and use Thunderbolt!"

A green blade formed on Sceptile's arm as it ran towards Angelina's Pikachu. Sceptile slashed down towards Chocolate, but the Pikachu quickly got out of the way with Quick Attack and Sceptile's blade ended up imbedded in the ground instead.

Chocolate then gathered electricity, sparks emitting from her cheeks, and released a powerful Thunderbolt attack towards Sceptile. Although Sceptile was hit full force by the attack, he wasn't hurt much by it due to a combination of his body being a poor conductor of electricity and much of the attack being grounded out by his blade.

After the electricity stopped flowing through him, Sceptile withdrew his blade and spun around towards Chocolate and slashed her across the chest, the force of the attack sending her face down into the ground.

"Come on, Chocolate! Get up! Don't let that Sceptile knock you around!" Angelina encouraged, ignoring the looks she got from Tyson and his Sceptile while her Pikachu weakly climbed back onto her feet. "Chocolate, use Iron Tail!"

"Sceptile, jump and use Pound!"

Sceptile turned towards the Pikachu, catching a glimpse of her running towards him, her tail having a silverish coloring to it. He quickly jumped straight up out of the way as Chocolate brought her tail around to strike the Forest Pokemon, missing him completely.

Sceptile then came down on top of Chocolate, punching her hard in the head and using his fall to boost the strength of his attack. Chocolate was hammered hard into the ground, and didn't get back up.

"Oh no, Chocolate!" Angelina gasped as she ran out onto the field and picked up her injured Pokemon. "Sweetheart, you okay?"

"Pi… pika, chu, pikachu," Chocolate said weakly, opening its eyes.

"Don't worry, you were great," Angelina smiled. "Thanks, and you deserve a long rest." she held up the rhine-stoned Pokeball and recalled the Pikachu in a red beam.

"Angelina now has one remaining Pokemon left against Tyson's Sceptile," the commentator informed as Angelina returned to her side of the field. "Which trainer will come out on top as the Hoenn Tournament Champion after this final round?"

"This victory is mine," Angelina smiled determinedly and threw out her last Pokeball. "Get'em Spritz!" the white light revealed the Aqua-Rabbit Pokemon onto the field.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!"

"Spritz, use Ice Beam!"

A green blade materialized on Sceptile's arm as he ran towards the Azumarill. Spritz fired a beam of ice towards Sceptile, but Sceptile jumped into the air, avoiding the attack and leaping clear of the mud. He brought the blade on his arm forward, striking the Azumarill across the chest and flipping backwards onto the ground in front of her. Spritz was clutching her stomach in pain; being a water-type Pokemon meant being hit by Sceptile's Leaf Blade attack would hurt like heck for her.

"Spritz, Ice Beam again!" Angelina commanded.

"Sceptile, use Quick Attack and get out of the way!" Tyson countered.

Spritz fired another beam of ice from her mouth towards Sceptile, but by the time it reached him, Sceptile was long gone. Sceptile seemed to become a blur as he used Quick Attack and circled around behind Azumarill, ready to strike her from behind.

"Now hit it with another Leaf Blade attack!"

Sceptile leapt towards Spritz from behind, a green blade forming on his arm again as it did. Sceptile raised his arm and struck Spritz across the back with his blade, and Spritz staggered forward from the impact, growling in pain.

"This calls for drastic measures," Angelina warned. "Spritz, use Hyper Beam!"

Spritz turned towards Sceptile and charged up an orange ball of energy in its mouth.

"Sceptile, jump!" Tyson directed.

Sceptile jumped high up into the air as Spritz fired her Hyper Beam attack. There was an explosion of dust as the beam struck where Sceptile was just standing, but fortunately Sceptile had managed to jump clear of the attack.

"Now hit it with Pound!" Tyson ordered.

Sceptile brought his hands together as he started to drop to the ground. He hammered Spritz hard on the head as he came down, and Spritz's eyes seemed to bulge as she was hit. Sceptile landed in the crater made by Spritz's Hyper Beam, while Spritz collapsed in front of him, a dazed look in her eyes.

"Azumarill is no longer able to battle! Sceptile wins!" the referee announced, raising up his green flag. "The winner of this match, and the Hoenn League Tournament is Tyson Rylie from Mauville City!"

Everyone around the arena arose to their feet and cheered loudly while Tyson ran out onto the field and hugged his Sceptile happily.

"He…. beat me," Angelina fell to her knees in surprise, then she recalled her fainted Azumarill and stared at the Pokeball. "We may have lost the title, Spritz, but I'm still very proud of you and the others."

"That was an awesome battle, Angelina." Tyson said, grinning down at the young girl as she looked up at him, "I hope we can meet again someday."

"Of course, Tyson," Angelina replied with a smile. "You truly are an amazingly strong trainer." she added with a wink.

Tyson grinned wider and held out his hand to Angelina, which she took it and was back on her feet. They stood there smiling with their hands locked together while a few people in the crowd were screaming _**'kiss her, kiss her'**_.

"Well now, ladies and gentlemen, we now have our champion! I ask you all to return here this evening for the presentation ceremony," the announcer called over the loud speakers as the crowd began to filter out of the arena.

Tyson and Angelina joined their friends and made their way towards the Pokemon Center, grateful for the Officer Jenny escort through the hyper crowds.

"Wow Tyson, that battle was so awesome!" Morrison exclaimed. "Your Sceptile is so strong, but I bet he's not stronger than my Metang!"

Angelina rolled her eyes, "My Azumarill lost only because she's weak against Grass-type Pokemon, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sceptile could win against your Metang at a type disadvantage."

"Stop arguing and go heal your Pokemon," Jeremy said while everyone made their way into the Pokemon Center.

_**(S)12345(S)**_

"As the Hoenn League Championship now draws to a close, I can't remember a competition with more non-stop thrilling battle action! Let's give a big hand to our winner, Tyson Rylie from Mauville City!" the announcer told the cheering crowd as Tyson was on stage being given the league's trophy by President Goodshow.

Angelina also stood on stage disguised as Crystalline. She wore a strapless black dress to mid-thigh with gold embroidery on the top and bottom. Her mid-back length blonde wig in layers, her accessories were gold earrings and a bracelet, and her pumps were black. She didn't even need make-up except for frosted pink lipstick and gold shimmer dusted her face and shoulders.

Standing behind Angelina was Amber on bass guitar, Seamus on drums, Dani was not only on keyboard, but also a back-up singer with Jeremy.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for our closing performance, Miss Crystalline!"

The crowd roars louder as Angelina takes the microphone off the stand, "Hello Evergrande City! I made this song special for not only the Champion, but also my family and friends. It represents everything we've been through on our journies, and its called _**'The Extra Mile' **_because we all have that special goal in life we want to accomplish and with loved ones there for us straight to the end."

Christina giggled with an excited May while Ash and Morrison sweatdropped watching Max threaten Brock to behave so they could watch without disruptions.

"So here it is," Angelina spoke through the microphone as the introduction started.

_**Countless eyes are watching  
in this our finest hour  
It's time to realise the dream  
And who we really are**_

*(S)*Angelina, Jeremy, Christina, and Drew meet Wally and help him capture his first Pokemon. Then Angelina and Jeremy pull Drew back from capturing a shiny Dratini._***(S)***_

I'm gonna freeze this space and time  
Rise to meet the call  
Seize the moment, make it mine  
And through it all

*(S)*Angelina and friends help the police and Syorin from Team Magma taking over Zakuden Town. Angelina tells the Houndoom pack they're no longer owned by Team Magma and were free to live in the wild. Syorin challenges Angelina to a battle for her Crystal Bell, but his Squirtle is defeated by her Skitty._***(S)***_

Straight as the arrows flies  
I will run towards the finish line  
With all the strength I've found  
My feet won't touch the ground  
I will scale the heights if I believe  
Your wings of faith will carry me  
I'll go the distance just to reach  
The arms I'm running to  
I'll go the extra mile for you  
  
_***(S)***_Angelina challenges the Dewford Gym a second time, her Pikachu finally takes out Brawly's Machop and Makuhita to earn the Knuckle badge. Jeremy and Christina join Angelina in the Trick House Challenge in Mauville City; they overcome the obstacles and win a year's supply of Poke-Block._***(S)***_ _****_

I know it won't be easy  
To make you understand  
I wanna take the glory  
And put it in your hands

*(S)*Angelina loans her Charizard to her brother, Ash when Damien showed up wanting the Pokemon back. Then Angelina and her friends come to the rescue with their Pokemon when Damien injures Ash to get Charizard._***(S)***_

Cause you're the light that makes me shine  
You're the hero in my eyes  
Win or lose, do or die  
I'm aiming high

*(S)*Angelina and friends received a Dragon Scale from Mauville City's gym leader to shut off the generators in New Mauville, with not only the power of Angelina's Crystal Bell but also from a Porygon._***(S)***_

Straight as the arrows flies  
I will run towards the finish line  
With all the strength I've found  
My feet won't touch the ground  
I will scale the heights if I believe  
Your wings of faith will carry me  
I'll go the distance just to reach  
The arms I'm running to  
I'll go the extra mile for you

*(S)*Angelina and Amber battle against Team Magma to save the Pokemon on Mount Pyre. Amber's Combusken evolves into a Blaziken, but Angelina threatens Brody with a knife to stop the battle; she receives an emblem just before Team Magma retreats._***(S)***_

(Go the extra mile) in the end  
(Go the extra mile) I wanna be able to say  
I gave all of me for the world to see  
And I would do it all again  
I'd go the extra mile

Fresh in her mind of all the battles Angelina had during the Evergrande Championships with Dani, Seamus, and Jeremy. Although her most favorite was against Tyson, both trainers battled their hearts out for each other; and it was clearly seen when they were still holding hands while they walked out of the stadium together. _****_

Knowing it would be worthwhile....  
I would go the extra mile...  
For you....

If someone were standing right outside the entrance of the Hoenn Elite Four Head Quarters, they could hear the excited screams and shouts coming from the stadium. Angelina was smiling and her face as bright as a cherry when everyone gave her a standing ovation.

"Nice job, Lina!" Jeremy grinned.

"That was so awesome!" Dani said, brushing away a few tears.

And so, the current closes on an amazing Hoenn League Championships, but remember, there's always more adventures and more discoveries to come in the world of Pokemon.

To Be Continued

It took me a week to finish this chapter up, but I'm very satisfied and there is still more to come. Thanks for reading! I will return again! Comments welcomed!


	61. Friends' Farewell

Whoa, its been a month since I've updated. Sorry if I kept you guys waiting, but I have not forgotten or abandoned while I was at work and vacation or reading the new (and final) Harry Potter book. I don't own anything except my characters. This chapter takes place within the episode _**'The Scheme Team'**_. Enjoy!

**Chapter 64: Friends' Farewell**

"So you're Crystalline? Wow, that's really great!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Yeah, I would've told you sooner if I wasn't so busy," Angelina admitted, blushing. "There's not many people that know anyway besides my close friends."

Last time, Angelina had been defeated by Tyson in the Hoenn League Championships and sang a song for him and her friends at the closing ceremony. Now they have woken up before the others to get in their own goodbyes. They were outside the Pokemon Center sitting on a bench talking.

"Makes sense, but your secret's safe with me," Tyson assured, placing his arm around the girl's waist.

Angelina smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder, then looked up and moved closer to him, "Can't believe how things came together since Christmas."

"Yeah I know, but I'll be leaving in a couple hours for Mauville," Tyson said with a sigh, "We'll.... keep in touch though...." he moved closer as well, their lips a few centimeters away from touching.

"Oh really? Do tell us?" a female voice startled the two trainers from their thoughts. Dani, Jeremy, and Christina arrived with Ash, Morrison, May, Max, and Brock. Amber had left the night before to prepare her journey into the Sinnoh Region while Seamus mentioned helping his father at Goldenrod City's Radio Tower in the Johto Region.

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable**_

_**I'm walkin' down this endless highway  
With nothin' but my friends beside me  
We'll never give in, we'll never rest  
Advanced Battle is the ultimate test**_

_**From the earth of land, the sea, and sky**_  
_**We can never win, but they sure can try**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**From the stars and the ancient past  
They come to play, but they'll never last**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon  
Advanced Battle  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
I'm undefeatable**_

_**Oh, oh, oh  
Advanced Battle  
I'm unbeatable  
Pokemon**_

"Oh, h-hey guys," Angelina smiled nervously. "Did you all sleep well?"

Dani stared at her friend with arms folded and her eyebrow arched suspiciously, "Sure Angel, c'mon," she pulled the girl by the arm off the bench and they walked down the road slowly. "What's up with you and Tyson?"

"N-nothing!" Angelina stammered, her face slightly tinged pink. "We're just friends, yeah."

"And denial is so obvious," Dani rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't hold back if I were you, go for it!"

"I…. just met him during Christmas, and n-no! It's too soon to rush something more than friendship," Angelina admitted and cringed when her best friend laughed happily. "Shut UP, Danielle!" she placed a hand over the girl's mouth, "The others will hear you, and I—"

"Would be perfectly fine," Jeremy finished, he grinned when both girls jumped in surprise. "What have you got to lose?"

Angelina blushed and didn't know what to say, but then Morrison yelled out, "Oh no, my boat's leaving in five minutes! I can't be late! C'mon guys!"

Arriving at the port where Morrison sets off for his hometown, another boat shows up for Tyson and his departure home.

"Well, it was great to have met and battled against you, Ash," Tyson said as the two trainers shook hands.

"Right back at ya, Tyson," Ash grinned.

"Bye guys, take care," Tyson said, waving along with Boots (his Meowth) from the ship to Ash and friends.

Angelina smiled, waving as the boat drifted out to sea carrying Tyson back to Mauville City. "I'll keep your opinions in mind," she assured her two best friends sitting on Tropius's back. "Who knows, may be worth it."

"Have fun," Dani winked.

"We'll be there for you, too," Jeremy added.

"Thanks, goodbye," Angelina said, watching the Tropius fly into the sky. She then sighs, taking her little sister's hand as they follow Ash and his friends onto the ferry.

Hours later and arriving back to the Kanto Region, Angelina and Christina walk toward their hometown with memories of all the adventures they've had in the Hoenn Region.

"Lina, are you okay?" Christina asked, noticing her older sister had been quiet throughout the journey home.

"Yeah, never better," Angelina smiled lightly, then frowned while looking straight ahead down the road.

Christina stared doubtfully and knew something was wrong with her sister. "If you say so."

Angelina sighed, a memory flashing before her eyes…. It was in the Hoenn Region many months ago. She and her friends had gotten their cabin decorated for Christmas and they were joined by a new trainer named Tyson tending to a wild Meowth that was injured and abandoned by its pack. They had so much fun during that week, and couldn't wait to meet back together at Evergrande City for the Hoenn League Championships and the Crystalline Concert.

_**Goodbye  
Leaving is always so hard  
Now its time to go, I can't believe my feelings  
I promised that I won't cry, even though I knew I will  
I hide my tears so you can't see how much this hurts  
You're more than my best friend.  
But maybe the worst thing is  
When I realized that  
I won't see you anymore**_

_**Goodbye  
Funny how that's a hard thing to say  
Now its time to let go but  
Never thought I'd feel this way  
Promised not to be sad but  
We both knew I was lyin'  
Gotta fight back the tears 'cause  
Can't let you see me cryin'  
You're more than just my best friend  
What makes me Angel most of all  
In our final curtain call  
Is knowin' that I won't see you again**_

"Lina, look! It's Pallet Town!" Christina exclaimed.

Both girls stopped walking and took in the view of the small town nestled between the hills and could see the Crystal mansion in the distance.

"Yeah, I'm glad we're home." Angelina smiled. "C'mon, let's go see Mom."

They ran down the dirt path until they arrived at the white house where Mr. Mime was sweeping outside.

"Hey there, Mr. Mime!" Angelina said.

"Miiime!" the mime Pokemon waved two the girls happily. "Mr. Mime! Mime!" _**(Hi, welcome home)**_

Christina giggled and her Togepi chirped. Then a middle-aged woman with auburn hair came outside wearing a purple knee-length skirt and a pink blouse.

"My sweethearts! Oh I'm so glad to see you home safely!" Mrs. Ketchum greeted them with hugs and kisses.

"We had lots of fun, Mommy! I captured my own Pokemon, we met new friends, and Angelina defeated Hoenn's Elite Four!" Christina said excitedly.

"Really now? Your own Pokemon?" Mrs. Ketchum asked, surprised. "I hope you take good care of them."

"Oh I will, Angel and Jeremy helped me," Christina assured. "So was Drew, Dani, Seamus, Amber, and Ash—"

"Sounds like you had a good time!" said a new voice, belonging to a girl with red-orange hair in a side-ways ponytail. Her outfit was a yellow-and-blue design tank top and shorts with running shoes.

"Misty, long time no see!" Angelina happily greeted her brother's best friend. "Wow, you look great!"

"Same to you, and I got an Azurill," Misty held up a small blue mouse with pink in its small circular ears, light blue dots under its gray-blue eyes and a thin black zigzag shaped tail with a big blue ball at the end of it. "Tracey gave it to me when it was just an egg."

"How cute!" Angelina cooed, taking out her Pokedex.

'_**Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokemon,'**_ Dexette informed. _**'Its tail is filled with nutrients necessary for growth and it plays by bouncing on its tail.'**_

Angelina and Christina followed their mother and Misty into the house where they were joined by Professor Oak. They helped out in the kitchen for dinner until Ash's voice got everyone's attention.

"I'll be right there, honey!" Mrs. Ketchum called while Misty walked out to greet her friend. "Go on, girls. I'll handle things from here." She told her daughters, whom nodded and walked into the living room.

"Hey Ash, 'bout time you got here," Angelina smirked at her brother's startled expression.

"Geas, we both left at the same time this morning, but how'd you get home before me?" Ash asked puzzledly while the girls giggled simultaneously just as Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak stepped out.

"I'm so glad to see you, Ash," Mrs. Ketchum said. "I made all your favorite foods."

"Yeah!" Ash cheered. "All right then, let's eat!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"As usual, food comes first," Misty laughed softly. "I was hoping to hear some of your travel stories."

"Lots of time for that, after we eat," Ash said, taking off his shoes and puts on a pair of slippers.

From outside, a loud beep sounded. Ash opened the door to see two familiar people standing in front of a jeep.

"Look who I found?" called a little dark haired boy with glasses. He also wore a green shirt with gray-brown shorts and green-and-black shoes.

"Hello everybody." waved a tall man with brown hair and a beard. He wore tan shorts, sandals, and a navy shirt with a lab coat over it.

"Its Max and Professor Birch!" Ash exclaimed happily.

With a heroes' welcome from family and friends, Ash and his two sisters will enjoy a well deserved rest in their hometown. They will share stories of their journeys through the Hoenn Region. But happy as Angelina and Christina are to finally be home, they find out that Ash is already preparing for his next challenge and adventure. The Battle Frontier.

THE END

I thought the song from the _**'Gotta Catch Ya Later'**_ episode would fit this last chapter. It sums up that everyone has to say goodbye at one point and split ways, but will always remain friends. I thought I did a pretty good job with this story, and I'm brainstorming ideas for a new one.

Thanks to those that took their time to read and comment each and every chapter! I wouldn't have been encouraged to continue my fanfiction without you: _**Digi fan, SacredBlade, and WildTotodile**_.


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